EFFECT OF GIBBERELLIC ACID ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) UNDER SALT STRESS

Abstract

Soil salinity limits agricultural production significantly. A pot experiment was conducted in the field laboratory of the Department of Agroforestry and Environmental Science, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka- 1207, during the months of October 2021 to April 2022 to observe the performances of gibberellicacid [G0 (0 mg/L), G1 (50 mg/L), G2 (100 mg/L)] on the growth and yield of tomato (BARI tomato 16) under salt stress [S0 (0 mM NaCl), S1 (50 mM NaCl) and S2 (100 mM NaCl), S3 (150 mM NaCl) following completely randomized design with three replications. Salinity stress hampered growth and productivity of tomato in dose dependent manner. Salt stress primarily reduced leaf number and chlorophyll pigments in leaf which consequently decreased the plant height as well as plant biomass including fruit yield. But application of gibberellic acid could not alter the saline induced damages. It drastically increased the plant height in both stressed and non-stressed condition but deformed the fruits and destroy marketable yield.