DIFFERENTIATION OF SALT STRESS TOLERANCE OF SIX VARIETIES OF TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L.) ON THE BASIS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS

Salinity is a major problem for plant productivity and crop development; it reduces the growth and yields of susceptible varieties. Searching adapted genotype to high salinity levels has become an imperative for agricultural productivity. This work aims at evaluating the genotypic variations of salt stress responses in tomato which is one of the most important horticultural crops worldwide. Six commercial cultivars were subjected to salinity stress. Plants exposed to salinity showed a significant decrease of the leaves' number, the height of areal parts, the dry matter, the water content, the total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, b, and the carotenoid. Moreover, the discriminant factorial analysis showed a difference between control and stress treatment, where the 'Nemador' variety was the most sensitive to the salinity, and the 'Saada' was the most tolerant with regard to analyzed factors, and that a significant correlation was obtained between `Saada' and the physiological parameters, especially the dry weight.