Effects of irrigation frequency and water table depths on root growth and yield of tomato in a tropical soil

Abstract

The effects of irrigation frequency and water table depths on tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill, cv. Ife 1) root growth and fruit yield on a tropical soil were investigated. Tomato was grown at two water table depths (deep > 100 cm, and shallow < 60 cm) and three irrigation frequencies (one-, two- and three-week frequencies applying 50 mm water per irrigation). The experiment was carried out at Kadawa, Nigeria (11°39′ N, 08°02′ E) for two consecutive years. Root length density, rooting depth, and fruit yield were generally higher at the deep than at the shallow water table location. At the deep water table location, the one-week irrigation frequency gave significantly higher root length density and fruit yield than the other irrigation frequencies. At the shallow water table location the two-week irrigation frequency gave higher fruit yield than the one- and three-week irrigation frequencies. There was a significant positive correlation between root length density and fruit yield.