Effect of water salinity on new seed propagated artichoke cultivars.

Results of a field research to study salinity tolerance of four "seed" propagated artichoke cultivars ('N6370', 'N6374', 'N6376' and 'N6377) are reported. All the cultivars resulted moderately salinity tolerant according to literature data on cultivars "seed" and agamically propagated. More saline tolerant were 'N6370' and 'N6376', the less tolerant was 'N6377'. Threshold, slope and ECe50 values of Maas and Hoffman (1977) model were, respectively, equal to 3.5 - 3.7 - 1.7 - 1.7 dS m(-1), 4.2 - 5.0 - 5.1 - 7.5 dS m(-1) and 15.4 - 13.7 - 11.5 - 8.4 dS m(-1) respectively for cv. 'N6376', 'N6370', 'N6374' and 'N6377'. Salinity increased heads dry matter.