In vitro selection for salt tolerant lines in Lycopersicon peruvianum.

A salt-tolerant callus line of Lycopersicon peruvianum has been obtained by exposing the cells, in suspension cultures and then in callus, to increasing concentrations of NaCl (50-350mM). This selected line grew better than the nonselected line at all levels of NaCl. Moreover, this selected line grew better in media containing salt than in those without it. It retained its tolerance after subculture for 3 passages (3 months) on salt-free medium. The growth of the selected line in mannitol was similar to that of the nonselected line, which suggested that the superiority of the selected line under salt stress was not due to osmotic stress tolerance. The ions SO 4 (--) and K(+) were highly toxic to L. peruvianum root callus, while Na(+), Mg(++) and Cl(-) were less toxic.