Two field experiments were conducted during two successive early summer
seasons of 2003 and 2004 on a sandy soil of El-Gsbeel farms, South Sinai. Egypt. to
evaluate the effect of using the regional high salinity groundwater from representative
wells (WQ 1 = 0.88 dS/m as cntrol, WQ2= 1.90. WQ3= 3.98. WQ4= 6.20. WQS; 10.00
dS/m) in surface drip (SO) and subsurface drip (SSD) irrigation of tomato
(Lycopersicon esculentum Mill .. cv. GS) . Tomato rooting depth, shoot weight, fruit
weight. fruit height, and fruit diameter significantly decreased with increasing salinity
of the irrigation water relative to the control (WQ1). The reductions were about 16.3,
19.4, 25.8, and 58.1 % tor root length, respectively; while the corresponding
reductions were 4.4,8.7,44.0. and 69.1% for shoot weight; and 16.9, 25.9. 55.9, and
64% for fruit fresh weight. Fruit height and fruit diameter exhibited a similar trend but
in a Jesser magnitudes. On the other hand. fruit total soluble solids (TSS) and vitamin
C concentrations significantly increased with increasing salinity and were attributed to
the reduction in fruit dry weights. Subsurface drip irrigation (20 cm below bed surface)
significantly increased rooting depth and shoot weight compared to the SD one.
Simple correlation coefficients among the studied parameters revealed that fruit
weight or fruit size were significantly and positively correlated with root length and
shoot weight and negatively with irrigation water salinity.