422098

Raising Tomato Tolerance to Soil Salinity via Foliar Application of Amino Acids and Soil Addition of Sulfur

Article

Last updated: 27 Apr 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Soil fertility and plant nutrition

Abstract

Cultivating tomatoes in saline soils can be a viable strategy for enhancing agricultural production in Egypt while addressing the food gap and improving food security, provided that appropriate measures are taken. To evaluate this approach, a field trial was conducted over two consecutive seasons (2023/24 and 2024/25) using a split-split-plot experimental design to assess the performance of two tomato varieties, Florida and Alia, grown in saline soil with an EC of 6.25 dSm-1. The study examined the effects of soil application of elemental sulfur at rates of 0.0 and 300 kg fed-1 and foliar application of amino acids, including proline (60 mgL-1), methionine (60 mgL-1), and their combination (30 mgL-1 for each), alongside a control treatment. Various growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress markers, fruit yield and quality were evaluated at different growth stages. The results indicated that the Florida variety exhibited greater tolerance to salinity than the Alia variety, leading to improved growth performance, fruit yield, and quality. The application of elemental sulfur significantly enhanced all studied traits, while among the foliar treatments, the combined application of proline and methionine was the most effective, followed by proline alone then methionine and the control, respectively. Overall, optimal performance and yield under saline conditions were achieved when tomato plants of the Florida variety were treated with elemental sulfur and foliar-sprayed with a combination of proline and methionine. The findings provide a future perspective on utilizing sulfur fertilization and foliar application of amino acids as an effective strategy to enhance tomato productivity in saline soils. This approach contributes to expanding agricultural land and promoting sustainable farming, particularly in salt-affected areas, with potential application to other crops to mitigate salinity stress challenges.

DOI

10.21608/ejss.2025.360629.2002

Keywords

Saline soils, Florida, Alia, proline, methionine

Authors

First Name

hoda

Last Name

ahmed

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, El-Gama St., Giza, 12619, Egypt

Email

ahmed.hoda93@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

mohamed

Last Name

elsherpiny

MiddleName

atef

Affiliation

Soil, Water and environment Research Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Egypt

Email

m_elsherpiny2010@yahoo.com

City

mansoura

Orcid

9624-6427-0002-0000

First Name

Asmaa

Last Name

Elsaid

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

agricultural research center

Email

asmaaelsaid1290@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

65

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

51050

Issue Date

2025-06-01

Receive Date

2025-02-14

Publish Date

2025-06-01

Print ISSN

0302-6701

Online ISSN

2357-0369

Link

https://ejss.journals.ekb.eg/article_422098.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=422098

Order

12

Type

Original Article

Type Code

19

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Journal of Soil Science

Publication Link

https://ejss.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Raising Tomato Tolerance to Soil Salinity via Foliar Application of Amino Acids and Soil Addition of Sulfur

Details

Type

Article

Created At

27 Apr 2025