Response of some cucurbit genotypes to salinity stress

The research was conducted in order to identify the response of some cucurbit genotypes to salinity stress in an unheated PE greenhouse in the winter season of 2013. Thirteen genotypes (Cucurbita pepo L. var. giromontia: ‘Izobilna F1’; Cucurbita moschata Duch.: ‘51-17’; Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché; Citrullus lanatus Thunb.: ‘Sultan F1’, ‘Nosztalgia F1’, and ‘Lentus F1’; Cucumis melo L.: ‘Vitalia F1’, ‘ZKİ 1112 F1’; Lagenaria siceraria Mol.: ‘Macis’; C. maxima L. × C. moschata Duch.: ‘Tr × 51-17 F1’, ‘RS 841’ and ‘Nun 9075’; Cucumis melo L.: ‘Ceşme’) were grown in water culture for 28 days for low and 36 days for high level of salt treatments. The seeds were sown in peat on 11th of October. Two weeks later plants were placed into trays and fed with the complete nutrient solution. Salinity was initiated two weeks after. Salinity level was gradually increased up to 300 mM by adding 25 mM NaCl daily. Plants were put at low (100 mM) and high (300 mM) NaCl levels for 7 days. The seedlings in the control were fed with a normal nutrient solution during the same period. Stem length, stem diameter, leaf number, shoot and root fresh and dry weights, membrane permeability and relative water content were measured to compare control and salinity treatment at the end of both salinity levels. The results demonstrated that plant growth and dry matter production differed among the tested genotypes, although plant vigour was decreased with increased salinity. A genotype differentiation in the response to salinity stress was revealed. Overall results of plant growth, biomass, membrane permeability and relative water potentials showed that watermelon genotypes of Nosztalgia and Lentus, melon genotypes of Vitalia F1 and Cesme, hybrid zucchini Izobilna, hybrid ‘Tr × 51-17’ and Lagenaria sp. were found promising in terms of their response to salt stress. © 2019 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.