Impacts of Olive-Mill-Wastewater-Compost Associated with Microorganisms On Yield and Fruits Quality of Tomato Under Water Stress

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tomato quality and yield between different bunches and the differences between the two comprehensive evaluation methods on tomato quality ranking under water stress. Two degrees of water stress including mild water stress (W1) and moderate water stress (W2), and three growth stages that water stress applied including seedling stage (S1), flowering stage (S2) and fruit expanding stage (S3) were tested in this study. The yield and quality of different bunches of tomatoes under water stress during different growth stages were determined as responses, and the comprehensive fruit quality ranking and yield of the second and third bunches were evaluated. The results showed that water stress was important for the improvement of fruit quality, but fruit yield decreased during water stress. The yield of the third tomato bunch decreased from 11.69% (W1S1) to 30.60% (W2S2) compared to control (97.57 t/hm2), and the effects of mild water stress on fruit yield were minimal at the early growth stage. However, the fruit quality in terms of soluble sugar (SS), total soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C (VC), and firmness (F) improved under water stress compared to control. The combined effects of water stress and its application period significantly affected SS and TSS. Water stress significantly improved the content of SS and TSS in the later growth period compared to seedling and flowering stages. Meanwhile, there was a significant difference in tomato quality between the second and third bunches of fruit, especially in the content of SS, organic acid (OA) and lycopene (L). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) were used to evaluate comprehensive fruit quality, and the best treatment in terms of the fruit quality was W1S3 for both bunches. The rank-sum ratio (RSR) method was used to evaluate fruit quality and yield, the results showed that W1S3 ranked first based on PCA and W1S1 ranked first based on GRA. Water stress enhanced tomato quality but inevitably reduced its yield during each growth stage. The application of mild water stress during the fruit expanding stage (W1S3) was considered to be the best treatment to provide satisfactory fruit quality and yield based on RSR. Keywords: water stress, growth stages, tomato, comprehensive fruit quality, yield, greenhouse DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191203.4468 Citation: Hao S X, Cao H X, Wang H B, Pan X Y. Effects of water stress at different growth stages on comprehensive fruit quality and yield in different bunches of tomatoes in greenhouses. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(3): 67–76.

A study was carried out on a field scale during two successive growth seasons (2009/2010 and 2010/2011) on tomato plants irrigated with saline ground water (2.24 and 3.86 dS m-1) using drip irrigation system, subjected to water stress (irrigation every 3, 4, and 5 days), and were grown under application of potassium fertilization (96, 120, and 144 kg K2O/feddan) in newly reclaimed lands at the Agricultural Experiments and Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University, El-Minia Governorate, Egypt. The current study aims to investigate the effects of irrigation water salinity and water stress on tomato growth, tomato yield, and tomato fruit quality under application of a salinity and water stress alleviated amendment (potassium fertilization) using drip irrigation system. The obtained results of the current study showed that increasing irrigation water salinity level from 2.24 dS m-1 to 3.86 dS m-1 decreased tomato plant height, tomato shoots fresh weight, average tomato fruit weight, fresh tomato fruit yield, and tomato fruit dry weight, while, it increased tomato shoots dry weight, number of tomato fruits per plant, total soluble solids of tomato, and tomato fruits marketability (shelf life) in growth seasons. Increasing irrigation interval from 3 up to 5 days decreased tomato shoots fresh weight in both growth seasons, however, it increased tomato shoots dry weight, total soluble solids, and tomato fruits marketability in the two growth seasons. Increasing the potassium fertilization level from 96 up to 144 kg K2O/feddan increased the tomato plant height, tomato shoots dry weight, average tomato fruit weight, total soluble solids of tomato, and tomato fruits marketability. Increasing the potassium fertilization level from 96 to 120 or 144 kg K2O/feddan increased the tomato shoots fresh weight, number of tomato fruits per plant, fresh tomato fruit yield, and tomato fruit dry weight in the two growth seasons. The increase in the tomato plant height, tomato shoots fresh weight, tomato shoots dry weight, number of tomato fruits per plant, average tomato fruit weight, fresh tomato fruit yield, total soluble solids of tomato, tomato fruits marketability, and tomato fruit dry weight implies that application of potassium fertilization to soil alleviated adverse effects of salinity stress and water stress on tomato growth, tomato yield, and tomato fruit quality. The results of the current research indicated that it can be recommended that to alleviate and manage adverse effects of salinity stress and water stress on tomato growth, tomato yield, and tomato fruit quality, good cultural practices management to be followed are: (1) irrigate tomato plants every 4 days, (2) apply appropriate and optimized requirements of potassium fertilization to soils (120 kg K2O/feddan), and (3) use drip irrigation system as an irrigation management which might control soil salinity build-up and soil water content since it can keep a high soil water content and low salt concentration in the root zone.

Xylem is the main tissue for water transport in plants, and the changes of hydraulic properties in which would affect plant water relations and fruit water accumulation. It remains unclear regarding the responses of xylem anatomy and hydraulic properties to water and salt stresses in tomato plants and their relationships with plant growth and fruit water content. We conducted a pot experiment in a greenhouse to investigate the responses of plant growth, fruit water content, and xylem hydraulic properties of a cherry tomato (Hong Baoshi) and a medium-fruited tomato (Beifan 501). There were three treatments, control with a soil water content (θ) of 75%-95% of field capacity (FC) and an initial electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.398 dS·m-1; water stress with θ of 75%-95% of FC (before flowering) and 45%-65% of FC (from flowering until maturity) and an EC of 0.398 dS·m-1; and salt stress with θ of 75%-95% of FC and an EC of 1.680 dS·m-1. Results showed that water and salt stresses decreased the cross-sectional stem area and xylem vessel diameter by 22.0%-40.7% and 10.0%-18.3%, respectively, and reduced the specific hydraulic conductivity of stem and the hydraulic conductivity of peduncle by 8.8%-41.1% and 12.9%-28.4%, respectively. Those changes inhibited plant growth and reduced aboveground fresh weight, fruit size, fresh weight and water content, with a more pronounced negative effect in the medium-fruited tomato. More-over, fruit water content was positively correlated with the specific hydraulic conductivity of stem and peduncle. In conclusion, water and salt stresses would inhibit plant growht, fruit fresh weight, and consequently tomato yield, due to their negative effects on xylem hydraulic properties of the tomato plant. Medium-fruited tomatoes are more susceptible to water and salt stresses than cherry tomatoes.

Effects of nitrogen supply on tomato yield, water use efficiency and fruit quality: A global meta-analysis

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different degrees of water and salt stress on the actual water consumption and soil salt accumulation of tomatoes and the salt tolerance characteristics of tomatoes under brackish water combined with regulated deficit irrigation mode. The greenhouse pot experiment was used to set three influencing factors, the irrigation water salinity S1 was 1.1 g/L (local shallow groundwater), S2 was 2.0 g/L, and S3 was 4.0 g/L, respectively, and different degrees of water deficit (W1 ranged from 65%-75% Field Capacity (FC), W2 ranged from 55%-65% FC, W3 ranged from 45%-55% FC) and seedling stage (T1), blossoming and bearing fruits stage (T2) and mature picking stage (T3). The response of fresh fruit weight, stems and leaves weight, yield and water use efficiency of tomato under water and salt stress were monitored and analyzed. The results showed the coordinated regulation of water and salt can significantly reduce the electrical conductivity of the 0-30 cm soil of the tomato root system. The higher the salinity of irrigation water, the better the salt control effects of the coordinated regulation of water and salt; the coordinated regulation of water and salt at different growth stages had significant effects on the weight of fresh tomato fruits, the weight of stems and leaves and the yield. The salinity of irrigation water was in inverse proportion to the yield of tomatoes; In S1 treatment irrigation (irrigation water salinity was 1.1 g/L) under the mildly regulated deficit in the seedling stage (irrigation water was 55%-65% of the field water capacity) can effectively reduce the irrigation water volume during the whole growth stage while ensuring that there was no significant reduction in yield. The research results provided a scientific and reliable theoretical basis for the increase of local tomato production, the improvement of water use efficiency and the formulation of suitable irrigation patterns. Keywords: tomato, coordinated regulation of water and salt, soil electrical conductivity, water consumption, yield DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211404.6238 Citation: Wang W H, Gong Y D. Effects of water and salt coordinated regulation at the different growth stages on water consumption and yield of tomato. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(4): 96–105.

Quantitative response of greenhouse tomato yield and quality to water deficit at different growth stages

The partial substitution of chemical fertilizer with microbial organic fertilizer (OF) may be more beneficial and sustainable in crop production. This study aimed to examine the rate of partial substitution of chemical fertilizer (CF) with microbial OF that could improve soil chemical properties and maintain high fruit yield and quality in tomato, and to determine the extent of contribution of the agronomic traits to fruit yield in tomato. The experiments were conducted in the field from February to June in 2020 and 2021 and arranged in RCBD with four treatments: 100% chemical fertilizer (control) and 25, 50 and 75% substitution of CF with microbial OF. The agronomic parameters such as plant height, leaf number, shoot dry weight and fruit yield as well as fruit quality were measured. The results showed that partial substitution of CF with microbial OF significantly promoted plant growth and fruit yield and improved fruit quality in tomato via the improvement of soil chemical properties. The 25% substitution of CF with microbial OF could be optimal for tomato production in Hung Yen province, Vietnam which has the fluvisol and loam soil. Furthermore, the tomato fruit yield was greatly influenced by the number of fruits per plant (r2 =0.89), fruit weight (r2 =0.49) and the shoot dry weight (r2 = 0.40). The changes in these three agronomic traits collectively contributed to 95% changes in the tomato yield. The present findings suggested that farmer can substitute CF with 25% microbial OF and focus more on increasing the number of fruits per plant to optimize fruit yield in tomato.

This experiment was aimed to determine the effect of application of silicon on the growth and yield of tomato (var. Rajitha) under water stress condition. Treatments of the experiment were 75 mg of Si and no water stress (T1), 75 mg of Si and 50% water stress (T2), 150 mg of Si and no water stress (T3), 150 mg of Si, and 50% water stress (T4), no Si and no water stress (T5), and no Si and 50% water stress (T6). A pot experiment was conducted at a plant house in Horticultural Crop Research and Development Institute, Gannoruwa in 2019. The experiment was conducted as a Complete Randomized Design with a factorial treatment structure. There were 5 replicates in each treatment. Water stress and silicon were taken as main factors. Silicon was added as magnesium silicate and water stress was imposed by maintaining a moisture level equivalent to 50% of field capacity. According to the results, the significantly highest (p ≤ 0.05) mean height of plants (132.6 cm) in (13 weeks after planting) was observed in plants of T3 treatment, and the lowest mean height (107cm) was observed in plants of T6 treatment. Among the water stress treatments, T4 treatment reported significantly highest (p ≤ 0.05) shoot/ root ratio followed by T2 treatment. The application of magnesium silicate had improved yield parameters such as number of flowers, number of fruits, fruit weight, and fruit yield. In water stress treatments, T4 plants showed the highest flowering. Among the water stress treatment plants T4 resulted in the highest number of fruits per plant (13.6). Water stress negatively affects fruit weight but compared to T6 treatment plants (54.4 g) T2 treatment plants (55.7 g) and T4 treatment plants (56.3 g) showed higher fruit weight, but the treatments were not significantly different from each other. Lower fruit yield was observed in T6 treatment plants (0.707 kg) but T2 treatment plants (0.77 kg) and T4 treatment plants (0.967 kg) have shown higher fruit yield. The results of this experiment showed that the water stress reduced the growth of tomato plant and yield. But the application of magnesium silicate has a positive influence on growth and yield by enhancing the water tolerance of tomato under water stress conditions.

Understanding the effect of temperature stress on growth and yield of crops, and also identifying suitable management options to sustain the productivity under different changes in the natural environment are of timely importance. The main aim of this research is to compare the growth, yield and quality parameters of Tomato (solanum lycopersicum) variety Thilina grown with mulch when subjected to temperature and water stress if there is global warming. The plants were grown in pots under temperature-controlled poly tunnels. Main plot included two different irrigation applications (no water stress by irrigation to field capacity moisture level and, water stress by irrigating only up to the 50% of the available water capacity). Coir dust and saw dust were used as mulch and sub plots contained 3 different temperature regimes (34°C maximum temperature poly tunnel/32°C maximum temperature polytunnel/Open space-ambient temperature). The treatments were set up in a completely randomized design with 3 replicates. To make sure of the temperature replication, the trials were repeated 3 times. According to the results, there is significant effect of mulch on growth parameters of Tomato plants exposed to water and temperature stresses. Individual water stress showed a highly significant effect on growth, and yield parameters of Tomato. High yield reduction was shown in the high temperature (34°C) and water stressed plants. Mulching of saw dust and coir dust improved the yield even at 34°C temperature treatment. Therefore, Tomato variety Thilina would not be a successful crop in open field condition due to temperature and water stress if there is global warming, but mulching will help to improve the situation.

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of different application methods of chitosan on growth, yield and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications and twelve treatments combinations viz., T0= Control, T1= Soil application of chitosan (SAC) @80 ppm, T2= SAC @120 ppm, T3= Foliar spraying of chitosan (FSC) @60 ppm, T4= FSC @80 ppm, T5= FSC @100 ppm, T6= Combination of T1 and T3, T7= Combination of T1 and T4, T8= Combination of T1 and T5, T9= Combination of T2 and T3, T10= Combination of T2 and T4, and T11= Combination of T2 and T5. The study results revealed that there were significant variations among the treatments on number of leaves, numbers of flower cluster, flowering duration, fruit length and yield of tomato (L. esculentum). The highest yield of tomato (L. esculentum) was obtained from the treatment T6, while the lowest was obtained from control treatment. Vitamin-C and lycopene content of tomato (L. esculentum) fruits varied from 2.19-4.09 and 2.38-3.58 mg 100g-1 sample, respectively. Among the major minerals, the highest amounts of Ca, Mg, Na, K, S and P were obtained from T7 (0.69%), T3 (0.58%), T8 (0.38%), T1 (0.62%), T4 (0.15%) and T6 (0.33%) treatments, respectively. Study results inferred that the treatment T4 was more effective concerning most of the growth and biochemical parameters of tomato (L. esculentum). Finally, the study concluded that foliar application of chitosan alone or in combination with soil has significant effect on growth, yield and biochemical characters of tomato (L. esculentum).

Water stress is by far the most serious limiting factor to tomato (Solanum lycopersicom) production, particularly in Iran where located in arid and semi-arid regions. Silicon (Si) is considered an effective element to mitigate the adverse effects of water stress by promoting plant growth and production. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of the foliar application of Si (0, 100, and 200 mg L–1) and three water regimes – no stress (100), mild stress (80%), and severe stress (60%) – on the growth parameters, the yield, and the fruit quality as well as antioxidant status of the tomato. The imposed water stress significantly increased the total soluble solids (TSS), the total acidity (TA), and the flavonoids as well as antioxidant defense parameters such as catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX), while the growth parameters (plant height and leaf number) and tomato yield were decreased. In contrast, the foliar application of Si (200 mg L–1) remarkably improved the total yield of tomatoes when exposed to water stress by improving the antioxidant enzyme activities and total flavonoid compounds. In addition, the application of Si could significantly improve the growth parameters (plant height and leaf number) and fruit quality (fruit firmness and size). As a result, the foliar application of Si could be suggested as an effective strategy for imparting water stress resistance in the tomato.

To achieve higher economic returns, we employ inexpensive valley electricity for night-time supplementary lighting (NSL) of tomato plants, investigating the effects of various durations of NSL on the growth, yield, and quality of tomato. Tomato plants were treated with supplementary light for a period of 0 h, 3 h, 4 h, and 5 h during the autumn-winter season. The findings revealed superior growth and yield of tomato plants exposed to 3 h, 4 h, and 5 h of NSL compared to their untreated counterparts. Notably, providing lighting for 3 h demonstrated greater yields per plant and per trough than 5 h exposure. To investigate if a reduced duration of NSL would display similar effects on the growth and yield of tomato plants, tomato plants received supplementary light for 0 h, 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h at night during the early spring season. Compared to the control group, the stem diameter, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, and yield of tomatoes significantly increased upon supplementation with lighting. Furthermore, the input-output ratios of 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h NSL were calculated as 1:10.11, 1:4.38, and 1:3.92, respectively. Nonetheless, there was no detectable difference in yield between the 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h NSL groups. These findings imply that supplemental LED lighting at night affects tomato growth in the form of light signals. Night-time supplemental lighting duration of 1 h is beneficial to plant growth and yield, and its input-output ratio is the lowest, which is an appropriate NSL mode for tomato cultivation.

China's tomato cultivation area is nearly 15 thousand km2, and its annual tomato output is about 55 million tons, accounting for 7% of its total vegetable production. Because of the high drought sensitivity of tomatoes, water stress inhibits their nutrient uptake, leading to a decrease in tomato quality and yield. Therefore, the rapid, accurate and non-destructive detection of water status is important for scientifically and effectively managing tomato water and fertilizer, improving the efficiency of water resource utilization, and safeguarding tomato yield and quality. Because of the extreme sensitivity of terahertz spectroscopy to water, we proposed a tomato leaf moisture detection method based on terahertz spectroscopy and made a preliminary exploration of the relationship between tomato water stress and terahertz spectral data. Tomato plants were grown at four levels of water stress. Fresh tomato leaves were sampled at fruit set, moisture content was calculated, and spectral data were collected through a terahertz time-domain spectroscope. The raw spectral data were smoothed using the Savitzky-Golay algorithm to reduce interference and noise. Then the data were divided by the Kennard-Stone algorithm and the sample set was partitioned based on the joint X-Y distance (SPXY) algorithm into a calibration set and a prediction set at a ratio of 3:1. SPXY was found to be the better approach for sample division. On this basis, the stability competitive adaptive re-weighted sampling algorithm was used to extract the feature frequency bands of moisture content, and a multiple linear regression model of leaf moisture content was established under the single dimensions of power, absorbance and transmittance. The absorbance model was the best, with a prediction set correlation coefficient of 0.9145 and a root mean square error of 0.1199. To further improve the modeling accuracy, we used a support vector machine (SVM) to establish a tomato moisture fusion prediction model based on the fusion of three-dimensional terahertz feature frequency bands. As water stress intensified, the power and absorbance spectral values both declined, and both were significantly and negatively correlated with leaf moisture content. The transmittance spectral value increased gradually with the intensification of water stress, showing a significant positive correlation. The SVM-based three-dimensional fusion prediction model showed a prediction set correlation coefficient of 0.9792 and a root mean square error of 0.0531, indicating that it outperformed the three single-dimensional models. Hence, terahertz spectroscopy can be applied to the detection of tomato leaf moisture content and provides a reference for tomato moisture detection.

Boron is essential to growth at low concentrations and limits growth and yield when in excess. Little is known about plant response to excess boron (B) and water stress occurring simultaneously. The influences of B and water supply on tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) were investigated in lysimeters. Water application levels were 30, 60, 100, 130 and 160% of potential evapotranspiration. Boron levels in irrigation water were 0.02, 0.37, and 0.74 mol m−3. Conditions of excess boron and of water deficits were found to decrease yield and transpiration of tomatoes. Simultaneous B and drought stresses did not result in a larger effect but rather, one or the other stress-causing factor was found to be dominant in plant response. Both irrigation water quantity and boron concentration influenced water use of the plants in the same manner as they influenced yield. A dominant-stress-factor model following the Liebig-Sprengel law of the minimum was assumed and validated. The model applies the principle that, when a plant is submitted to conditions of stress caused by B in conjunction with water and/or salinity stress, the most severe stress determines yield.

Appropriate foliar application of zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) is important for the proper growth and yield of tomato. However, the effects of foliar application of Zn and ZnO-NPs were not well-studied on tomato production. A pot experiment was conducted at glasshouse (8D) conditions under the Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to evaluate the effectiveness of Zn and ZnO-NPs on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and fruit quality of tomatoes and to compare between the Zn nutrient and ZnO-NPs. Treatment combinations were 14 viz. T1 = 0 (control), T2 = 1500 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T3 = 2000 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T4 = 2500 ppm (mg/L) Zn nutrient, T5 = 75 ppm ZnO nanoparticle, T6 = 100 ppm ZnO nanoparticle, and T7 = 125 ppm ZnO nanoparticle along with two tomato varieties. The experimental design was a split plot with four replications. Results indicated that foliar application of 100 ppm ZnO-NPs performed best in terms of growth parameters, physiological traits, yield attributes, yield, and quality traits of tomatoes. The same treatment (100 ppm ZnO-NPs) contributed to attain the highest nutrient uptake. Recovery use efficiency of Zn was highest with foliar application of 75 ppm ZnO-NPs. The highest yield increment (200%) over control was from foliar sprayed with 100 ppm ZnO-NPs. Comparing the two varieties, MARDI Tomato-3 (MT3) showed better than MARDI Tomato-1 (MT1). As is appears from the results, foliar application of zinc oxide nanoparticles was more efficient than conventional zinc fertilizer. Therefore, the foliar sprayed with 100 ppm ZnO-NPs can be suggested to improve quantity and quality of tomato in glasshouse soil conditions.