Physiological Responses of Muskinelon (Cucumis melo L.) to NaCl Salinity in vitro arid Hydroponic Cultures

The study was initiated to investigate osmotic adjustment and physiological responses of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) to induced NaCl salinity stress (0, 50, 75, 100 or 125 mM) in vitro and in hydroponic cultures. Leaf tissue osmolarity decreased from -6.31 mid -7.09 bar for the control to -9.82 and -10.11 bar for the highest NaCl concentration (125 mM) for in vitro and hydroponic cultures, respectively, In both cultures, shoot height aad weight, root length and fresh weight, and soluble and crude protein contents decreased with the elevated concentration of NaCl. Mineral acquisition in the tissue was affected by salinity level, where K, Ca, Mg, N, and P decreased with increasing the salinity. Tissue Na increased from 0.44 and 1.78% to 6.16 and 5.63% when NaCl increased from 0 to 125 mM for in vitro and hydroponic cultures, respectively. It may be concluded that in vitro and hydroponic cultures would be sufficient for screening or studying salinity tolerance in muskmelon