Effects of Salinity Stress on Water Use Efficiency, Yield Components, Leaf Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Content of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

The effects of irrigation water salinity on some yield components, water use efficiency, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content of eggplant were investigated with a greenhouse experiment. Eight saline irrigation waters with electrical conductivities (EC= 1.4, 2.4, 3.4, 4.4, 5.4, 6.4, 7.4 and 8.4 dS/m and tap water (EC=0.4 dS/m) as a control treatment were utilized. The experiment was set up as a completely randomized design with four replications per treatment and crops was grown in cylindrical lysimeters. As the yield response to salt stress, the value of threshold salinity was determined as 1.49 dS/m for soil salinity. Crop evapotranspiration generally decreased with irrigation water salinity, the highest water use efficiency was obtained from relatively low salinity levels (≤ 2.4 dS/m). The crop yield coefficient (Ky) was calculated as 1.58. Plant height, plant fresh and dry weights, leaf area and relative dS/m) increased leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content of eggplant