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Abstract

Mycorrhizal symbiosis can affect yield and plant growth parameters in saline conditions. In the present research the effects of NaC1-induced and salinity due to salt mixtures on leaf proline as well as on growth indices of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var Spectrum882) in symbiosis with two species of mycorrhiza arbuscular fungi were studied. The experiment was carried out in a glasshouse as a randomized complete block design with two factors of fungi in three levels, Mo(without fungi), Mi(Glomus interaradices) and Mm(Glomus mosseae) and salinity in eight levels. Two kinds of salinity were employed including: four dS!m levels of salt mixture (S1-S4), S1—1.2, S2—4, S3—6.5 and S4—8, and four levels of NaC1 (S5-S8), S5—1.2, S6—4, S7—6.5 and S8—8. The seedlings were inoculated separately with two fungi species. Control plants (with no inoculation) were planted in a sterilized nursery. After one month, the inoculated plants were transferred to pots containing four Kg of sterilized sand, and salinity treatments were initiated gradually. Total growth period was 165 days. The results showed a significant increase in shoot dry weight, leaf area, root colonization percent (RCP), fruit weight and leaf proline concentration in mycorrhizal plants in comparison with non-mycorrhizal plants (p

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