Response of Yield and Quality of Tomato Grown in Unheated Greenhouse to Irrigation and Fertilization With Different Rates

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 2020 on tomato variety Big Beef F1, planted in Haplic chromic luvi soil under drip irrigation with mulching and fertigation in an unheated greenhouse. The aim was to determine how the yield and quality of tomato were affected under full (100% ET c ) and deficit irrigation (60% ET c ) in interaction with four fertilizer rates (120% RDF, 100% RDF, 80% RDF, 0%). The total yield of tomato plants under full irrigation was 25.7% higher than the yield of the tomato plants under deficit irrigation. Full irrigation, in interaction with the fertilization rates 120 % and 100% RDF of NPK, maintained 30% higher yield of tomato than the yield of plants under reduced water supply with the same fertilization rates. The following parameters: total soluble solids, pH, reducing sugars, ascorbic acid content and titratable acidity were examined to assess the quality of tomato fruits. Except pH, all of the quality parameters of the tomato plants, subjected to moderate stress, due to a reduction in the irrigation rate, showed higher values than those of fully irrigated plants. The pH trend was reversed and the parameter had higher values at full irrigation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to analyze the effect of irrigation and fertilization with different rates. The effect of fertilization on the yield and quality of tomato was less pronounced compared to the effect of irrigation.

Quantitative Prediction of Tomato Irrigation Needs Using Cropwat

“…Total IR for tomato crop in this investigation was 488.5 mm. Similar results are calculated by pan class A data from Patamanska et al, (2018) for the same experimental plot.…”

“…CWR was between 20 and 30 mm for decade at initial and late stages and between 40 and 50 mm for decade at middle stage. Similar results for irrigation rate in tomatoes crop was calculated by pan class A data (Patamanska et al, 2018) for the same experimental plot in greenhouse, as well as in the open area for the same experimental field in 2017 (Petrova-Branicheva et al, 2020). Irrigation requirement (IR) of tomatoes is presented at Table 1.…”