Sequential abiotic stress applied to juvenile eggplant modifies the seedlings parameters, plant ontogeny and yield

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to evaluate eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) susceptibility to a sequence of stress factors during plant ontogeny based on seedling morphological, biochemical and physiological parameters and the subsequent assessment of yield characteristics. After germination, seedlings at the radical stage were exposed to chilling, heat, osmotic or oxidative stress. Four weeks after development in standard conditions in a greenhouse, the seedlings were again subjected to chilling stress in a growth chamber. A non-chilled Control was implemented. Then, the yield and physiological characteristics were assessed after field cultivation. Generally, stress application after germination resulted in better plant acclimation to chilling at the 4-week-old seedling phase, evaluated on the basis of photosynthetically active pigment contents, chlorophyll fluorescence and some morphological characteristics. The comparable time to reach successive phenological stages by stressed and Control plants in the field suggests that stress pretreatment does not retard eggplant development. These results also confirm the thesis that stress memory can be induced in eggplant by stressor application during the early stages of development.