Effect of foliar application of water soluble fertilizer on growth, yield and quality attributes of tomato | IJAAR 2021

This research paper is written by Mr. M Irfan Ashraf, M Bilal Shaukat and Mr. Waqar Khalid from the Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Mr. Bakhatawar Liaqat, Shazia Kiran, Laraib Anam, and Mr. Zohaib Kaleem from the Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, and Mr. M Abdullah from the Wheat Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Lets get some knowledge about it.

Abstract

The tomato is the one of the most famous crops in Pakistan. It is used and consumed as fresh as well as in processed form. Its botanical name is Solanum lycopersicon Mill. The proposed study had been conducted in the year 2017-2018 in order to find the best combination of water soluble NPK fertilizers as compared to control. Five different types of water soluble fertilizers were collected from different sources and were applied at 5% concentration during the entire growing period of the tomato crop. The experiment was designed using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments and three replications of each. Different vegetative, reproductive and bio-chemical parameters were recorded and analyzed statistically at 5% level of significance. The treatments were compared using LSD test. It was concluded that different NPK water soluble fertilizers showed variation in physical and bio chemical parameters in tomato plants as compared to control. The plants showed variation in plant height, No. of fruit per plant, fruit yield per hectare, Individual fruit weight, fruit weight per plant, No. of diseased fruit per plant, date of first harvest, Fruit color Fruit length (cm), fruit size (cm), fruit firmness, total NPK contents, vitamincmg Chlorophyll concentration, pH, (TSS), Electricity conductivity (EC) and Titratable acidity Among all the water soluble treatments, the T₃ treatment (WSF 20:20:20) yielded the comparatively better results as compared to other WSF treatments. So it was concluded that T₃ was the recommended water soluble fertilizer for tomato.

Introduction

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) is considered as domesticated plant of Western and South America (Ali et al., 2012). Tomato ranks second after the potato crop in family Solanaceae while ranks first in term of processed crop. It is an annual vegetable crop grown in summer season. Temperature of 25-280C is favorable temperature for its growth and development (Ejaz et al., 2011). In Pakistan, spring and autumn crops are cultivated twice a year (Naz et al., 2011). China, India, Turkey, Egypt, Italy and Iran are main producer of tomato crop (Ali et al., 2013). Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum Mill.) is a rich source of vitamins as well as antioxidants. It does not form acid stones and possesses a great amount of citric acid but forms alkaline, when enters into bloodstream. It also works as a liver cleanser when used in green vegetable juices. 

About 11 million acres in the world are under cultivation of tomato. India and China contribute about 40 percent in global production of tomato. Its demand is increasing with growing population of the world. Currently, Pakistan is standing at the 30th position while the United States of America is at the 1st and China is at the 2nd rank. (GOP, 2015). In Pakistan per acre yield of tomato is very low as compared to the yield of the world. It currently produces 4.00 tons per acre while the global production of tomato is 43 tons per acre. The maximum yield has been achieved in Belgium which is 202 tons per acre. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon Mill.) is an herbaceous plant. It is a very important cash crop for small as well as bourgeois farmers and cultivated on wide area all over the world. It is a good source of vitamins as well as minerals (GOP, 2015). On the globe, annual production of fresh tomato is accounted for about 159 million tons. While, about quarter of these 159 million tons is used for the processing industry, which makes this crop the world’s leading vegetable crop for processing. 

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon Mill.) production in Pakistan was 530 thousand tones during the year 2015. The top 8 producing countries account for 74.2% of the world’s yearly production. Tomato crop enjoys a huge export potential owing to its need in the international market. Tomatoes are exported to a number of countries including Afghanistan, Iran, U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and India. Afghanistan as well as Iran and UAE are central market hubs for tomatoes’ export from Pakistan. Pakistan is capable of increasing its share in these markets (GOP, 2015). The area, production and average yield of tomato in Pakistan have been getting varied in different eras. Since the year 2000-01 to the year 2009-10, area under tomato crop has been expanded from 27.9 to 50 thousand hectares and yield has jumped from 268.8 tons to 476.8 thousand tons. The current national yield of tomato crop is based on ten year’s average (10.1 tons/ha) which is very low. To get high yield, vigorous yielding varieties and improved production technologies should have to be adopted. 

The Province Baluchistan is leading province in tomato cultivation annually with an average area of 18.1 thousand hectares followed by KPK and Sindh with area of 15.6 and 10.7 thousand hectares, respectively (GOP, 2016). Low quality and low production of tomato is due to unbalanced application of micro and macro nutrients. The main function of the nutrients is to help the synthesis of chlorophyll and to activate the process of photosynthesis. Micro and macro nutrients are required to tomato crop in specific dose for proper growth and development (Rub and Haq, 2012). To overcome this production deficiency an experiment was arranged to find out best dose of water soluble N, P and K fertilizer. So that the foliar application of soluble fertilizers NPK in different doses is needed to examine to attain a good crop establishment, growth, quality fruit production and healthy yield of tomato crop. It can be beneficial for earning high market price. Get the full articles by following the link Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res. 18(1), 10-18. January 2021.

Reference

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Ali W, Jillani MS, Naeem N, Waseem K, Khan J, Ahmad MJ, Ghazanfarullah. 2012. Evaluation of different hybrids of tomato under the climatic conditions of Peshawar. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture 28(2), 207-212.

Anand N. 1973. Studies on leaf analysis and an index of fertilizer needs in tomato M.Sc. (Ag) Dissertation, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, T.N. (India).

Anoop K, Indiresh KM. 2015. Effect of water soluble fertilizers on qualitative parameters of tomato. Asian Journal of Horticulture sciences 10(1), 41-44.

Batra VK, Makhan L, Kampoj OP, Arora SK, Suthar MR. 2006. Effect of foliar application of micro nutrients on quality and shelf-life of tomato. Haryana Journal of Horticulture sciences 35(2), 140-142.

Bhatt L, Srivastava BK. 2005. Effect of foliar application of micronutrients on physical characteristics and quality attributes of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 75(9), 591-592.

Chaurasia SNS, Singh KP, Rai M. 2005. Effect of foliar application of water soluble fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.). Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Sciences 42, 66-70.

Chaurasia SNS, Singh KP, Rai M. 2006. Response of tomato to foliar application of water soluble fertilizers. Vegetable Science 33(1), 96-97.

Ejaz M, Rehman SU, Waqas R, Manan A, Imran M, Bukhari MA. 2011. Combined efficacy of macronutrients and micronutrients as a foliar application on growth and yield of tomato grown by vegetable forcing. International Journal of Agronomy Veternity and Medicine Sciences 5(3), 327-335.

Government of Pakistan. 2015. Fruits, Vegetables and Condiments statistics of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan, Ministry of food and Agriculture. (Economic Wing), Islambad.

Government of Pakistan. 2016. Pre-feasibility study (offseason vegetable farming–high tunnel).

Guvence I, Badem H. 2000. Effect of foliar application of different sources and levels of nitrogen on growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.). Indian Journal of Agruicultural sciences 72(2), 104-105.

Jeybal A, Murlidhar RM, Palanippam SP, Helliah SC. 1998. Technical Bulletin on specialty Fertilizers. Agriculture Research Development Institute Secunderabad.

Karpagam R, Kannan M, Natarajan S, Sriniva K. 2004. Studies on the efficacy of foliar feeding of water soluble fertilizers on growth parameters and yield of Brinjal hybrid COBH. Journal of Horticulture 52(6), 139-142.

Kumar U, Chandra G, Raghav M. 2017. Nitrogen management in potato for maximum tuber yield, quality and environmental conservation. Vegetable Science 44(2), 43-418.

Lester GE, Jifon JL, and Makus DJ. 2010. Impact of potassium nutrition on postharvest fruit quality: Melon (Cucumis melo L) case study. Plant and soil 335(1), 117-131.

Narayanamma M, Chiranjeevi C, Reddy CS. 2006. Influence of water soluble fertilizers on yield of brinjal. Journal of vegetable sciences 33, 94-95.

Naz FI, Haq U, Asghar S, Shah AS, Rahman A. 2011. Studies on growth, yield and nutritional composition of different tomato cultivars in Battal Valley of district Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture 27(4), 569-571.

Rab A, Haq IU. 2012. Foliar application of calcium chloride and borax influences plant growth, yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicon Mill.) fruit. Turkey Journal of Agriculture and Forest 36, 695-701.

Souri MK, Dehnavard S. 2018. Tomato plant growth, leaf nutrient concentrations and fruit quality under nitrogen foliar applications. Advances Horticulture Sciences 32(1), 41-47.

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Research Paper Published by Journal of Agronomy | Get some knowledge about Productivity and quality of sugar beet

 

An agricultural research journal called International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR) published an articles entitled “Productivity and quality of sugar beet as affecting by sowing and irrigation methods and hill spacings” in the November Issue 2019, under volume 15. This research work developed by Mr. HM Sarhan from the Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt. 

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at Kalabsho Experimental Farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt, during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to study the effect of sowing methods (mechanical and manual methods), irrigation methods (surface and drip irrigation system) and hill spacings (10, 15 and 20cm between hills) on yield and its components, as well as quality of sugar beet cv. Hossam as a multigerm variety under sandy soil conditions. The obtained results could be summarized as follows; the optimum sowing method that produced the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters was mechanical sowing method (planter machine) in both seasons. Irrigation sugar beet plants by using drip irrigation system yielded the highest values of yield and its components as well as root quality parameters and followed by using surface flooding irrigation system in both seasons. Planting sugar beet seeds on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed produced, the highest values of yield and its components and root quality parameters and followed by planting on 15cm between hills, resulting plant population density 46666 plants/fed and finally planting on 10cm between hills, resulting plant population density 70000 plants/fed in the two seasons. From the obtained data in this study, it can be concluded that sowing sugar beet using mechanical sowing method (planter machine), irrigation by using drip irrigation system and planting on one side of the ridge, 60cm width, and 20cm between hills, resulting plant population density 35000 plants/fed in order to maximizing its productivity and quality under the environmental conditions of sandy soil in Kalabsho region, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt.

Materials and methods

The present investigation was carried out at Kalabsho Experimental Farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons to study the effect of sowing and irrigation methods and hill spacings on yields and its components as well as quality of sugar beet cv. Hossam as a multigerm variety under sandy soil conditions Each sowing method (mechanical and manual) was performed in separate experiment. Mechanical sowing method was done by using planter machine in ridges 60cm in width. However, manual sowing method was undertaken workers in ridges 60cm in width.

Each experiment of sowing method was performed in strip-plot design with three replicates in both seasons. The vertical-plots were occupied with two irrigation methods (surface and drip irrigation system). The plots were irrigated immediately after sowing by surface flooding method in both irrigation methods. After that, in surface flooding irrigation method, plants were irrigated after sowing regularly every 15-18 days. In the drip irrigation system, polyethylene drip lines of 16mm in diameter had in-line type emitters. The distance between emitters along the drip line was 0.20m and the discharge of one emitter was 4L/h under the running pressure of 1.5 atm. 

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The horizontal-plots were devoted at random with three hill spacings (10, 15 and 20cm between hills) on one side of the ridge. Plants were thinned at the age of 45 days from sowing to obtain one plant/hill, resulting three plant population densities of 70000, 46666 and 35000 plants/fed, respectively.

Each experimental basic unit included ten ridges, each 60cm apart and 3.5 m length, which resulted an area of 21 m2 (1/200 fed).

Soil samples were taken at random from the experimental field area at a depth of 0-30cm from soil surface and prepared for both mechanical and chemical analyses. The results of both mechanical and chemical analyses are presented in Table 1.

The experimental field well prepared by two ploughing, leveling, compaction, division and then divided to the experimental units. Calcium super phosphate (15.5% P2O5) was applied during soil preparation at the rate of 200kg/fed.

Sugar beet balls (seeds) were sown using mechanical and manual methods as previously mentioned at the first week of November in both growing seasons. Nitrogen fertilizer (100kg N/fed) in form of urea (46.5%) was applied in three equal doses, the first portion was applied after thinning (45 days from sowing), the second portion was applied after 60 days from sowing, and the third portion was applied after 75 days from sowing. Potassium sulphate (48% K2O) at the rate of 24kg/fed was applied after 30 days from sowing.

Other agricultural practices for growing sugar beet were performed as recommendations by Ministry of Agriculture, except the factors under study. Interested reader can get full articles by following link Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res. 15(5), 28-37, November 2019.

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Productivity and Quality of Sugar Beet as Affecting by Sowing and Irrigation Methods and Hill Spacings-IJAA... by International Network For Natural Sciences on Scribd

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