Examination of ion accumulation and some physiological characteristics of grafted eggplants grown under salinity conditions

Salinity is one of the most severe environmental stresses, and it affects over 20% of the world’s irrigated land. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), the third most important vegetable crop worldwide after potato and tomato, is relatively salt sensitive. Grafting over tolerant rootstocks is an effective tool to avoid or reduce yield losses caused by salinity stress. In this study, different rootstock/scion eggplant combinations were grown under two salinity treatments, 1.8-2 dS m^‑1 (control) and 6-7 dS m^‑1 (stress) in pots under greenhouse conditions. Four eggplant genotypes were used as rootstock (‘Köksal’ F₁, ‘AGR703’, ‘Vista’, and the Turkish genotype ‘Burdur’), while two genotypes were used as scion (‘Naomi’ F₁ and ‘Artvin’). Concerning leaf area, chlorophyll content, and leaf ions content (Na⁺, Cl^-, K⁺ and Ca²⁺) parameters tested, there were significant differences between combinations. ‘Köksal’ and ‘Vista’ rootstocks showed the best performance under salinity conditions and were more tolerant to salinity, and were efficient in preventing Na⁺ ions to be transferred to the plants’ upper parts. ‘Burdur’ genotype showed good performance as rootstock in comparison to the commercial genotype, and it also showed that it is a potential genetic source to be used in breeding programs for new eggplant rootstocks tolerant to salinity.