The presence of certain nutrients in soil solution can stimulate the growth of plants when cultivated under saline stress. A study was conducted to evaluate the response of tomato (hybrid Facundo) to different doses of N and K under irrigation with saline water. The work was carried out in a greenhouse and the treatments consisted of the combination of three levels of N (7.5, 15.0 and 22.5 g per plant) and three levels of K (8, 16 and 24 g K2O per plant) applied by drip fertigation, in a 3 x 3 factorial scheme, with five replications. The salts sodium chloride and calcium chloride were also added to irrigation water for obtaining an electrical conductivity of the water of 9.5 dS m-1. Plant height, stem diameter, leaf area and the number of days for flowering were not affected by the levels of N and K, the levels of K affected the dry mass of stem plus clusters and total dry mass for the lowest levels of N. It was concluded that the application of high doses of N and K did not contribute to increase salt tolerance of tomato.
Lycopersicon esculentum; fertigation; leaf area; salinity; lowering
