IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE SOLID MEDIA ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF TOMATO GROWN UNDER LOW PLASTIC TUNNELS

Authors

1 Dept. Plant Prod. (Veg.), Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Arish Univ., Egypt.

2 Dept. Prot. Cult., Hort. Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Cent., Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to optimize unexpansive alternative media as growing system for tomato production. Field trials were conducted at The Experimental Farm, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt under low plastic tunnels during winter growing seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. This study included sixteen treatments, five substrate media, i.e, sand, sawdust, pressed olive cake, crashed wheat straw and vegetative green waste compost and their combinations at a ratio of 1:1 V/V (volume: volume) as well as coco peat as a control medium. Results showed that among different growing media early yield increased with pressed olive cake + wheat straw medium in both seasons. While, marketable yield/plant and total yield (ton/fed) recorded the highest values with pressed olive cake +green waste compost medium in both seasons without significant differences than pressed olive cake medium in the second season. Pressed olive cake +green waste compost, sand, wheat straw, sand + sawdust medium were the superior treatments which recorded the highest value of fruit vitamin C content in the first season (28.0 mg / 100 gm). Meanwhile, pressed olive cake + green waste compost and sand + wheat straw medium recorded the highest value (27.3 mg/100gm) in the second season. In contrast, fruit shape increased with pressed olive cake + wheat straw medium in the first season, and with sand medium in the second season.

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