Toleransi Cabai Keriting (Capsicum annuum L.) terhadap Cekaman Salinitas pada Fase Vegetatif

Abstract

Many marginal lands in Indonesia with considerable potential for agricultural commodity development are affected by salinity. The growth and yield responses of chili plants under saline condition vary defending on the salinity tolerance of the cultivated varieties. This study aimed to select curly chili genotypes tolerant to salinity stress. The experiment was conducted from September to December 2021 at the Greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Universitas Sembilanbelas November Kolaka, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The study employed a randomized complete block design with two factors. The first factor consisted of five curly chili genotypes:  F10120005-120-7-1-7-8-1-2B (G1), F10120005-141-16-35-7-1-3B (G2), F10120005-141-16-35-1-4-3B (G3), F6110005-9-6 (G4), and F10120005-241-2-9-4-4-1-1B (G5). The second factor was NaCl concentration applied to the hydroponic medium using Hoagland nutrient solution, consisting of two treatment: control (without NaCl addition) and NaCl aplication at  8 g L^-1. Differences between treatments with and without NaCl were further evaluated using tolerance indeks analysis. The results indicated that under optional growing conditions )wthout NaCl), genotypes F10120005-120-7-1-7-8-1-2B (G1) exhibited the highest average vegetative growth. In contrast, genotype F6110005-9-6 (G4) showed more stable vegetative growth under NaCl stress and demonstrated the highest salinity tolerance based on the tolerance indeks. Therefore, F6110005-9-6 (G4) can be recommended for cultivation in saline soils and can be considered a promissing parental line in breeding programs as a source of salinity tolerance. The use of salinity-tolerant varieties represents an effective and efficient strategy to optimize the utilization of saline lands and enhance food security in Indonesia.