Articles
Effect of regulated deficit irrigation and fulvic acid application on apparent soil electrical conductivity and lycopene concentration dynamics in processing tomato
Article number
1468_13
Pages
89 – 94
Language
English
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of regulated deficit irrigation during the final stage of crop development and fulvic acid (FA) application on apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and lycopene concentration dynamics in processing tomato fruit.
The experiment was conducted under field conditions using slightly saline irrigation water and the cultivar ‘Plum Regal’. A randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement and three replications was used, with irrigation regime as the main plot factor and FA application as the subplot factor.
Soil salinity, expressed as estimated saturated paste extract electrical conductivity (ECe), marketable yield, and fruit lycopene concentration at 104, 112, 119, and 127 days after transplanting, were evaluated.
Deficit irrigation increased estimated ECe, particularly in the absence of FA, whereas FA application reduced ECe values at harvest.
Marketable yield was not affected by treatments.
Lycopene concentration increased during ripening in all treatments, with the highest value observed under deficit irrigation without FA and the lowest under control irrigation with FA. These results indicate that FA was associated with lower ECe values and lower lycopene concentration, whereas moderate stress favored lycopene accumulation without reducing marketable yield.
The experiment was conducted under field conditions using slightly saline irrigation water and the cultivar ‘Plum Regal’. A randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement and three replications was used, with irrigation regime as the main plot factor and FA application as the subplot factor.
Soil salinity, expressed as estimated saturated paste extract electrical conductivity (ECe), marketable yield, and fruit lycopene concentration at 104, 112, 119, and 127 days after transplanting, were evaluated.
Deficit irrigation increased estimated ECe, particularly in the absence of FA, whereas FA application reduced ECe values at harvest.
Marketable yield was not affected by treatments.
Lycopene concentration increased during ripening in all treatments, with the highest value observed under deficit irrigation without FA and the lowest under control irrigation with FA. These results indicate that FA was associated with lower ECe values and lower lycopene concentration, whereas moderate stress favored lycopene accumulation without reducing marketable yield.
Authors
A. Antúnez, C. Vergara, M. Vidal, O. Seguel
Keywords
deficit irrigation, processing tomato, soil salinity, fulvic acids, lycopene
Groups involved
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