1Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Sambalpur-768 025, Odisha, India
2Department of Plant Physiology, College of Horticulture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Sambalpur-768 025, Odisha, India
3Department of Seed Science and Technology, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Sambalpur-768 025, Odisha, India
4Department of Plant Physiology, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar-751 001, Odisha, India
*Corresponding Author: Dipika Sahoo, Department of Plant Physiology, College of Horticulture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Sambalpur-768 025, Odisha, India, Email: dipikasahoo@ouat.ac.in
Online published on 6 February, 2026.
Water deficit is one of the most limiting factors for plant survival as it regulates growth and development and limits plant productivity. Salicylic Acid (SA) is a signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in regulating plant responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses, including water stress. When applied exogenously, SA can stimulate the expression of stress-responsive genes and activate antioxidant defense systems, helping to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated under water stress conditions. Potassium plays a crucial role in regulating stomatal opening and closing, osmotic adjustment and enzyme activation, all of which are important processes for water stress adaptation.
A field experiment was conducted at AICRP on Vegetable Crops, OUAT, Bhubaneswar to standardize the dose of salicylic acid and KNO3 application on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under water stress condition. In the present investigation growth, fruit and seed yield attributing traits of tomato for the year 2019-20 and 2020-21 was studied under randomized block design with three replications and ten treatments. Treatments include five doses of salicylic acid (10 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, 100 ppm) and three doses of KNO3 (1%, 2.5%, 5%) along with one stress check treatment (drought stress by withholding irrigation) and stressfreecontrol treatment (provided flooding irrigation).
The maximum values of growth parameter, yield and yield attributing characters such as plant height (115.77 cm), leaf area (98.72 cm2), number of truss per plant (11.83), number of fruits/plant (23.87), total fruit yield (42.28 t ha-1), seed yield (148.84 kg ha-1), germination % (88.17), seedling length (14.93 cm), S.V I (1315.49), S.V II (185.35) were recorded with stress free check treatment (provided flooding irrigation) followed by 100 ppm salicylic acid and KNO3 5%. Maximum leaf area (98.72 cm2) was recorded with 100 ppm salicylic acid followed by T8 (5% KNO3) and stress free control.
Antioxidant enzyme, Growth, KNO3, Salicylic acid, Water stress, Yield
