5. Conclusion
Our results have shown that reclaimed saline soil (EC = 8.9
dS m−1
) treated with the novel organo-mineral fertilizer
[a 2:10:1 (w/w/w) mixture of calcium sulphate, ground rice
bran, and humic acid] significantly increased the growth and
fruit yield of tomato plants grown in such soil. The organomineral
fertilizer-treated plants had higher levels of N+
, K+
, and
Ca2+, and lower levels of Na+ in their leaf tissues. In addition, it
enhanced the levels of proline and chlorophyll, and the activities
of antioxidant enzymes (CAT and PPO) under salinity stress
conditions. The influence of the organo-mineral fertilizer on
proline, chlorophyll and antioxidant enzymes activities was
more pronounced under stress situation, suggesting that these
parameters, at least in part, increased the tolerance of tomato
plants to salinity stress, thus protected the photosynthetic machinery
and plant growth.