Evaluation of Salt Tolerance Potential of 11 Commercial Eggplant Cultivars in Greenhouse Condition

Abstract

Fresh water for agricultural irrigation is contaminated by high salinity level of sea water intrusion into the underground water. To solve this problem, salt tolerant plant should be used for this area and eggplant is a choice of economic vegetable will be suggested to farmers. This experiment is to study of ability to salt tolerant on 11 eggplants in 4 salinity level including 2 dS/m (Control), 6 dS/m, 9 dS/m and 12 dS/m. Eleven eggplant cultivars were grown in pots with sand and watering with nutrient solution containing by Ca(NO₃)₂•4H₂O, F-EDTA, KNO₃, NH₄H₂PO₄, MgSO₄•7H₂O and micronutrients H₃BO₃, MnSO₄4H₂O, ZnSo₄7H₂O CuSO₄5H₂O, NaMoO₄•2H₂O and add NaCl every day. Eggplants were scored and SPAD measurement for 7 weeks. There was not significant between cultivars and the levels of salinity of salt for SPAD data. In the 7^th week, eggplant cultivars were scored the ability for salinity tolerant selection.  All eggplant cultivars can be grown well at salinity level of 6 dS/m. For salinity of 9 dS/m, there are 8 cultivars that can be tolerant (Pingpong, Casino, Yodnam-nangpraya, Krobkaw TA-089, Srisuk, Poseidon, Jawmapraw and Chan-maung). There were three cultivars that are Casino, Krobkaw TA-089 and Chan-maung can be moderately tolerant at 12 dS/m.