Salt in irrigation water affects the nutritional and visual properties of romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

The influence of salinity stress on the growth, appearance, and nutritional compounds, especially phenolic compounds and carotenoids, of romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), a low salt tolerant plant, was studied. The dry weight, height, and color of the lettuce plants were significantly changed by long-term irrigation (15 days) with higher NaCl concentration (i.e., >100 mM). However, no significant differences were observed in the growth and appearance among the control, all short-term treatments (2 days; 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mM), and long-term irrigation with low salt concentration. Moreover, in romaine lettuce treated with long-term irrigation with 5 mM NaCl, the total carotenoid content increased without color change, and the contents of major carotenoids in romaine lettuce, lutein and beta-carotene, increased 37 and 80%, respectively. No differences were observed in lutein and beta-carotene contents in short-term-treated lettuce. The phenolic content of the romaine lettuce declined with short-term salt irrigation, whereas there were no significant differences among treatments exposed to long-term irrigation. This research indicates that long-term irrigation with relatively low salt concentration, rather than short-term irrigation with high salt concentration, can increase carotenoid content in romaine lettuce without causing a tradeoff in yield or visual quality.