A combination of biochar and regulated deficit irrigation improves tomato fruit quality: A comprehensive quality analysis

Abstract

Quality of fresh produce is the most critical issue in the economics of a vegetable enterprise. In order to investigate the effect of biochar amendment and deficit irrigation on tomato fruit quality, experimental research was conducted under a rain shelter in southern China during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. The experiment consisted of five treatments. Crops were irrigated to 100% of field water capacity at all growth stages as treatments T1 and T2. The other treatments received 30% less irrigation water than T2 when its soil water content reached 70% of field capacity, and were designated as treatments T3, T4 and T5, applied at the vegetative (stage I), flowering and fruit development (stage II), and fruit ripening (stage III) stages, respectively. Treatment T1 included no biochar, while the other treatments included 10% biochar by weight. The results showed that the total soluble solids (TSS) content, sugar-to-acid ratio (SAR), vitamin C (VC) content, and colour index (CI) increased in the deficit irrigation treatments depending on the phenological stage, the fruit ripening stage in particular. Meanwhile, single fruit weight was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by water deficit at stages II and III, subsequently affecting the total fruit yield. Biochar improved soil moisture conservation and had a positive effect on fruit quality as evidenced by better single quality attributes (p < 0.05) of T2 over T1. The GRA and TOPSIS appraisal methods were used to conduct the comprehensive quality analysis. Eventually, treatment T5 ranked the best in both seasons, and this was also confirmed by the combinational evaluation method.

Biochar Improves Soil-Tomato Plant, Tomato Production, and Economic Benefits under Reduced Nitrogen Application in Northwestern China

“…Some studies have reported that the amount of biochar also affects changes in soil microorganisms [8]. The tomato is rich in nutrients and is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables [9]. As an important economic crop, it is the main ingredient in some prepared food as well as a focus of the agricultural industry [10].…”

Physicochemical Changes in Loam Soils Amended with Bamboo Biochar and Their Influence in Tomato Production Yield

“…High soil degradation affects many cultivated areas worldwide [3] and changes in the water regime, especially due to longer drought periods [4], have caused this crop to be under great production stress. Biochar has shown to favor tomato crop performance with an increased yield production and weight under controlled deficit irrigation [5][6][7][8]. Particularly, bamboo biochar pyrolyzed at 300 • C has had a significant positive effect on tomato quality and plant growth [9].…”

“…Particularly, bamboo biochar pyrolyzed at 300 • C has had a significant positive effect on tomato quality and plant growth [9]. So far, studies like these have associated observed changes in fruit quality, yield to plant, and nutrient dynamics responses, but without investigating deeply the underlying soil physical mechanisms [5][6][7][8].…”

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Effects on Water-Level Deficits on Tomato Polyphenol Composition, Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Capacity

“…Various studies have proved that climate change could seriously affect the supply and demand for irrigation water owing to the continuous increase in temperature and atmospheric CO 2 levels that changed rainfall patterns and their distribution in recent years [ 18 , 19 ]. Innovative water-saving irrigation methods, such as deficit irrigation, were developed to address water scarcity and to improve water-use efficiency [ 20 ]. It is generally believed that water deficits will have a negative impact on yield and a positive impact on quality by increasing primary or secondary metabolites.…”