Physiological parameters of tomato plants subjected to salinity and treated with brassinosteroid

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of brassinosteroid on chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, the SPAD index, and leaf succulence in young tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants under salt stress. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, in a 5×2 factorial arrangement – five levels of water salinity (0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 dS m^-1) × two rates of 24-epibrassinolide (0 and 10^-6 mol L^-1 EBL). At 23 days, the treatment without EBL showed that the increase of water salinity reduced the maximum, primary, and effective photochemical efficiency of PSII, as well as the electron transport rate, the SPAD index, leaf succulence, total dry mass, and the stress tolerance index, but increased initial fluorescence and relative excess energy in PSII. With the increase of water salinity, in the EBL treatments, there was an increase in the effective photochemical efficiency of PSII, the electron transport rate, the SPAD index, leaf succulence, total dry mass, and the stress tolerance index. EBL promotes beneficial effects on PSII integrity, the chlorophyll index, and leaf succulence in young tomato plants subjected to salinity levels of up to 6.0 dS m^-1