Evaluation of the effect of Stressal™ on cucumber grown in saline soil

Soil salinity is a problem affecting approximately 89.7 million hectares worldwide.

Salinity affects a plant’s physiology and its metabolism, causing osmotic stress. saline high amount of osmotic stress disrupts homeostasis, and therefore, the distribution of nutrients through the plant.

Any solution to enhance salinity tolerance must encompass the following three aspects of a plant’s activity:

1. Prevention of the damage caused by superoxides to the cellular structures.
2. Homeostasis management, which includes recovery of osmosis to face new situations of stress.
3. Growth management, in that the plant must resume its growth, which is stopped or delayed by the inadequate photosynthesis caused by stomal closure and limited entry of CO₂, which inhibits cell growth.

Stressal™ is a product based on hydrolyzed proteins and calcium salts which helps a plant to overcome saline stress. The principal benefits of these molecules is that they improve soil and plant conditions, promoting the absorption of available nutrients, and enhance crop productivity. 

The field trial presented here evaluates the effects of various doses of Stressal™ in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) grown in a saline soil.

Trial data

• Place: Sinaloa, Mexico
• Type of cultivation: greenhouse; soil
• Crop variety: Luxell

 Experimental design:

In order to explore the characteristics of Stressal™, four doses were applied with three applications during the transportation, blossoming and fruit set stages, as show in the table below:

The general recommendation is from three to six applications per crop cycle, at the end of the irrigation period and at the moments of maximum saline stress (budbreak, floration, fruit set, etc…).  

Parameters being analyzed:

• Plant height
• Stem diameter
• Brix reading
• Yield

Results

Conclusions

Thanks to the use of Stressal™, the plants evidenced an increase in plant height and stem diameter, , thus helping maintain the crop’s vegetative growth rate.

Using Stressal™ helped maintain the level of absorption of water and nutrients, thus encouraging the availability of important elements for plant nutrition and causing an increase in the soluble solid levels (ºbrix).  

By strengthening the availability and absorption of soil nutrients, and reducing the damage caused by the soil salinity, the crop yield also showed an increase by using Stressal™.