Abstract
Abstract Saline water is increasingly being considered for irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions amid growing pressure on freshwater supplies. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of saline irrigation on yield and fruit quality of tomato and rockmelon grown on coarse sandy soils under a Mediterranean climate in Western Australia. Two field experiments were conducted over consecutive seasons using drip irrigation and plastic mulch. Tomato and rockmelon were irrigated with water of five salinity levels (EC i 0.4, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10 dS/m). Soil salinity (EC e ), plant ion content, yield, and fruit quality – including total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, firmness, and bioactive compounds – were measured. Irrigation water with EC i ≤ 2.5 dS/m did not significantly affect marketable yield in either crop. Marketable yield declined by ~ 7–8% per unit EC i above this threshold, mainly due to reduced fruit size. In tomato, saline irrigation enhanced TSS (up to 49% increase), acidity, and concentrations of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants. Rockmelon fruit quality, including TSS (~ 12 °Brix), firmness, and nutritional content, was unaffected by salinity or postharvest storage. Moderate saline irrigation (EC i ≤ 2.5 dS/m) can be used for tomato and rockmelon cultivation on coarse sandy soils without adverse effects on yield or quality. Higher salinity improved tomato fruit quality, which may compensate for yield losses.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation water with EC up to 2.5 dS/m did not significantly affect marketable yield of either crop.
- Taxon
- tomato and rockmelone0
- Treatment
- Irrigation water with EC i ≤ 2.5 dS/me1
- Outcome
- marketable yielde1
- Direction
- did not significantly affecte1
- Qualifier
- in either crope1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“yield and fruit quality of tomato and rockmelon”
e1“Irrigation water with EC i ≤ 2.5 dS/m did not significantly affect marketable yield in either crop”
Claim · model-written summary
Marketable yield declined by about 7–8% per unit EC above the threshold, mainly due to reduced fruit size.
Verbatim
e0“yield and fruit quality of tomato and rockmelon”
e2“Marketable yield declined by ~ 7–8% per unit EC i above this threshold, mainly due to reduced fruit size”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline irrigation enhanced total soluble solids in tomato by up to 49%.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume3 - Treatment
- saline irrigatione3
- Outcome
- TSSe3
- Direction
- enhancede3
- Value
- up to 49%e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“In tomato, saline irrigation enhanced TSS (up to 49% increase), acidity, and concentrations of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline irrigation enhanced acidity and phenolic and flavonoid concentrations in tomato fruit.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume3
- Treatment
- saline irrigatione3
- Outcome
- acidity, and concentrations of phenolics, flavonoidse3
- Direction
- enhancede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“In tomato, saline irrigation enhanced TSS (up to 49% increase), acidity, and concentrations of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline irrigation enhanced antioxidant concentrations in tomato fruit.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume3
- Treatment
- saline irrigatione3
- Outcome
- antioxidantse3
- Direction
- enhancede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“In tomato, saline irrigation enhanced TSS (up to 49% increase), acidity, and concentrations of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants”
Claim · model-written summary
Rockmelon fruit quality was unaffected by salinity or postharvest storage.
- Taxon
- Rockmelone4
- Treatment
- salinity or postharvest storagee4
- Outcome
- fruit quality, including TSS (~ 12 °Brix), firmness, and nutritional contente4
- Direction
- unaffectede4
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“yield and fruit quality of tomato and rockmelon”
e4“Rockmelon fruit quality, including TSS (~ 12 °Brix), firmness, and nutritional content, was unaffected by salinity or postharvest storage”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate saline irrigation (EC up to 2.5 dS/m) can be used for tomato and rockmelon cultivation on coarse sandy soils without adverse effects.
Verbatim
e0“yield and fruit quality of tomato and rockmelon”
e5“Moderate saline irrigation (EC i ≤ 2.5 dS/m) can be used for tomato and rockmelon cultivation on coarse sandy soils without adverse effects on yield or quality”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher salinity improved tomato fruit quality, which may compensate for yield losses.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume6
- Treatment
- Higher salinitye6
- Outcome
- fruit qualitye6
- Direction
- improvede6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“Higher salinity improved tomato fruit quality, which may compensate for yield losses”
The same questions in other papers
salinity · quality: sugar starch · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
43 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
47 papers more in this group
See all 51 papers →irrigation · molecular: metabolites · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
32 papers in the same direction as this paper · 18 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- negative
47 papers more in this group
See all 51 papers →irrigation · quality: sugar starch · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
45 papers in the same direction as this paper · 17 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
59 papers more in this group
See all 63 papers →salinity · molecular: metabolites · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
31 papers in the same direction as this paper · 49 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- no effect
- no effect
78 papers more in this group
See all 82 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.