Growth Performance of Charleston and Hot Pepper Varieties Under Salt Stress

Salinity, which significantly affects plant productivity and quality, disrupts the structure of the soil. The increase in the amount of salt causes stress and stress causes many pauses in the morphological, physiological, cellular and molecular levels, as well as in different development processes in plants. Plants develop various tolerance strategies in response to salt stress. In this study, root stem and leaf weights, root length, stem length, stem diameter and leaf numbers, which are plant growth parameters, of green pepper and green pepper seedlings grown under salt stress were investigated.  The research was carried out in a split air-conditioned climate room under controlled conditions for 16/8 hours of light/dark, 70% humidity and 400 micromoles of light. For the seedlings to be treated with salt, NaCl was added to the Hoagland nutrient solution to provide 50 mM salt concentration. Sampling for measurement and analysis was carried out on the 5th, 10th and 15th days of salt application. Although slight regression was observed in plant growth and development at the end of the study, it generally continued to develop under 50 mM NaCl salt pressure. In fact, as the stress period increased, it was observed that the plants recovered, especially in the hot pepper variety.