Sorbitol and lithovit-guano25 mitigates the adverse effects of salinity on eggplant grown in pot experiment

D.B. Issa¹, S.M. Alturki², T.K. Sajyan¹²*, Y.N. Sassine¹⁴

¹Department of plant production, Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon
²Department of Arid Land Agriculture, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
²University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski blvd, BG1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
⁴Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
*Correspondence: tony.sajyan@st.ul.edu.lb

Abstract:

This trial aimed to study the separate effects of nano-fertilizers and sugar alcohols in mitigating salt-stress on eggplant (Solanum melongena L) crop. For this purpose, two different concentrations of lithovit®-guano25 (A1:0.5 g L^-1 and A2:1 g L^-1) and sorbitol (B1:5 g L^-1 and B2:10 g L^-1) were sprayed on eggplant irrigated by three NaCl solutions (EC1:1.5 dS m^-1, EC2:3 dS m^-1 and EC3 6 dS m^-1). Control plants were salt-stressed without any product. Results revealed an inhibitory effect of increasing in salt-stress on vegetative traits (plant height, leaf number, weights of plant parts and root mass fraction), reproductive traits (fruit number, fruit weight, yield plant^-1, fruit diameter) and photosynthetic pigments. Control plants at EC6 had the highest cell electrolyte leakage (51.26%). Plant height and fruit number were maximized by A1 at all salinity levels. Additionally, A2 increased fruit weight by 89.98g, 85g and 92.3g compared to control respectively at 1.5, 3 and 6 dS m^-1. Yield plant^-1 increased by this treatment at all EC levels. At 3 and 6 dS m^-1, A2-treated plants had the highest chlorophyll a (respectively 1.67 and 1.4mg g^-1 fresh weight), total chlorophyll (respectively 2.38 and 1.9mg g^-1 fresh weight) and carotenoids (respectively 193 and 172μg g^-1 fresh weight) contents. A2-treated plants had the lowest cell electrolyte leakage at 1.5 dS m^-1 (14.27%), 3 dS m^-1 (25.31%) and 6 dS m^-1 (37.78%). Treating plants with B1 and B2 maximized respectively fruit diameter at 1.5 dS m^-1 and water content in all plant parts at 3 dS m^-1. Both products helped plants reducing the adverse effects caused by salinity.

Key words:

growth, nano-fertilizers, physiology, S. melongena, salinity, sugar alcohols