RESPONSE OF PEPINO (SOLANUM MURICATUM AITON) TO SALINITY

Two experiment were conducted in a polyethylene greenhouse in order to determine the effects of salinity on plant growth, yield, fruit quality and water consumption of pepino (Solanum muricatum Aiton). In the first experiment plant growth, yield and fruit quality response to three different salinity levels of nutrient solution (2 dS m^-1 control, 5 dS m^-1 and 8 dS m^-1) in closed soilless system were tested. In second experiment, seedlings were screened in water culture in order to identify the response of pepino to gradually increased salinity. Salinity level was increased up to 300 mM by adding 50 mM NaCl weekly and plants were left for 7 days at that salinity level. The results showed that plant height, stem diameter, stem fresh and dry weights, cluster dry weight, fruit fresh weight, total and marketable yield, mean fruit weight and plant water consumption were decreased at the level of 8 dS m-1 while EC of fruit juice and vitamin C increased at 8 dS m^-1 EC level in first experiment. In second experiment, plants were damaged at higher salinity level (200-300 mM). It was concluded that pepino could be grown under medium salinity stress conditions as an alternative crop in greenhouses.