Effect of balanced solutions with different osmotic pressure on tomato plant

A study has been made of the effect of osmotic pressures (O.P.), 0.6, 2.0, 3.5 and 5.0 atm. produced by balanced nutritional solutions in tomato plants. With the maximum O.P. there is a 40% decrease, approximately, in the fresh weight. The increas ed O.P. also produces a decrease in the water content of the plant and an increase in the cation and anion content, not maintaining the ratios between ions, which produces an unbalance in the metabolism in order to increase the concentration of compounds which raise the internal O.P. of the plant.