WATER USE, WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND YIELD RESPONSE OF “LONG TIME STORAGE” TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum MILL.)

In 1992-1993 ‘Ponderosa’, ‘Fiaschetto’ and ‘Appendere d’inverno’, tomato cultivars for “long time storage”, were grown at an experimental farm, ‘Gaudiano’ (41°03’N, 15°42’E, Southern Italy), under four irrigation regimes: unirrigated control and restoration of maximum crop evapotranspiration (100 % of ETc) in both years; 66 and 33 % of ETc in the first year only; 50 % of ETc and supplementary irrigation (whenever the soil water potential dropped below -1.5 Mpa) in the second year.
In 1992 marketable fruits ranged from 28 t ha^-1, as average, without irrigation and with restoration of 33 % of ETc, to 42 t ha^-1 when restoration of 66 and 100 % of ETc were applied, without difference among the three cultivars.
Dry matter content of fruits ranged from 8.5 % in the unirrigated control to 7.2 %, as an average of all irrigated treatments.
In the second trial (1993), unirrigated control yielded 13 t ha^-1; an increase of 178 – 309 and 100 % was recorded when 50 – 100 % of ETc and supplementary irrigation were applied.
Among cultivars, ‘Fiaschetto’ was the most productive in the irrigation regime, with restoration of 50 % of ETc and with supplementary irrigation; ‘Appendere d’inverno’ yielded more in the best watered treatment. ‘Ponderosa’ showed higher soluble solids content.
The highest yield was recorded in the most irrigated treatment, however the restoration of 50 % of ETc was the most efficient in water use.

III International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops

V. Candido, V. Miccolis, M. Perniola, A.R. Rivelli

Irrigation regime, yield response, water-use efficiency, fruit quality

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2000.537.94