Abstract: By the method of hydroponics and with the salt-tolerant eggplant cultivar ‘Torvum Vigor’(Solanum torvum) from Japan as rootstock and the cultivar ‘Suqiqie’ (Solanum melongena L.) as scion, this paper studied the differences between grafted and own-root seedlings in their photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen metabolism under 80 mmol·L^-1 NaCl stress. The results showed that under NaCl stress, the dry mass, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate of grafted seedlings were 67.8%, 8.8% and 31.1% higher than those of own-root seedlings, respectively, and the antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly higher while the O₂^-_· producing rate and the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondiadehyde (MDA) contents were significantly lower in grafted seedlings leaves than in own-root seedlings. For both grafted and own-root seedlings, NaCl stress reduced the chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate, but increased the O₂^-_· producing rate and the H₂O₂ and MDA contents significantly. However, the growth of grafted seedlings was less affected by NaCl stress. The stronger salt tolerance of grafted eggplant seedlings was related to their higher antioxidant enzyme activities and less oxidative damage.

Key words: Soybean, Available silicon in soil, Seed germination, Seedlings growth, Physiological function