The Effect of Grafting on Calcium Influx in Tomato Fruits under Salt Stress Conditions

Two commercial tomato cultivars were used to determine whether grafting could prevent decrease of Ca2+ concentration under salt stress conditions. The cultivars Buran F1 and Berberana F1 were grafted onto rootstock "Maxifort" and grown under three levels of the elevated soil salinity (S1 EC 3.80 dS m-1, S2 6.95 dS m-1 and S3 9.12 dS m-1). Ca2+ concentration of non-grafted plants of both examined hybrids was lower at all salinity levels in comparison to the control. In the fruits of grafted plants salt stress significantly decreased Ca2+ concentration only at the third salinity level (EC 9.12 dS m-1). The possibility of grafting tomato plants to improve influx of Ca2+ under salt stress conditions is discussed