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Tomatoes are globally renowned for their nutritional value and culinary versatility. However, environmental stresses, particularly salinity, present significant challenges to tomato production, impacting both yield and fruit quality. In light of these challenges, this study investigates the effect of salinity on yield and fruit quality of a local cultivar tomato named ‘Pisanello’ in a closed soilless rockwool cultivation system. Total yield, fruit size, and number were investigated in both control (10 mM of NaCl) and salinity-treated plants (salinity 1 (S1)~30 mM of NaCl and salinity 2 (S2)~60 mM of NaCl), alongside various physicochemical parameters in fully ripened tomato fruits. The results indicated a decrease in crop production with rising sodium chloride concentration in the nutrient solution (25% and 41% for S1 and S2 treatment, respectively). Conversely, salinity-treated fruits exhibited an increase in total phenolic content of +21.9% in S1 and +36.7% in S2 and in antioxidant capacity (+33.5% and +34.7%, for the S1 and S2 treatments, respectively). Salinity treatments registered in general higher quality parameters such as titratable acidity (+8.9 for S1 and +16.5% for S2), total soluble solids (+18.5% for S1 and +43.0% for S2) and fruit firmness (+30.7% for S1 and +60.3% for S2) in comparison with control tomato fruits. Sensory profile analysis further validated the preference for fresh consumption of tomato fruits grown with saline water. These findings suggests that salinity stress can enhance the nutritional quality and taste of the Pisanello tomato. Further investigation could explore the optimal NaCl concentration to balance tomato production and nutritional quality.

The foremost cause behind worldwide crop losses is attributed to abiotic stresses. Among them, salinity is a major concern for agriculture and is expected to play an increasingly important role as rising food demands and climate changes will inevitably lead to the greater use of marginal lands and poor-quality irrigation water. Tomato is a moderately salinity-sensitive crop which is widely used in the presence of poor-quality irrigation water without manifesting yield reduction. However, the excessive accumulation of salts can reduce photosynthetic efficiency, unbalance nutrient assimilation, reduce growth, and reduce product quality. This study was undertaken to explore the response of some varieties of Solanum lycopersicum that could be used as model systems to evaluate the performance of wild tomato ecotypes in future studies to identify genetic resources that respond adequately to climate change in the Mediterranean area. Tomato seedlings were raised in vitro on plates with sucrose-free agarized medium containing increasing concentrations of sea salt. The autotrophic conditions enabled a response resembling the plant’s behavior in vivo. The obtained results identified an interesting variety that can be used as a model for modern cultivars and concentrations, from which the behavior of some Solanum spp. can be further investigated.