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Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Biomass, fruit yield, water productivity and quality response of processing tomato to plant density and deficit irrigation under a semi-arid Mediterranean climate

Cristina Patanè A C and Alessandro Saita B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) – Istituto per la Valorizzazione del Legno e delle Specie Arboree (IVALSA), UOS di Catania, via Paolo Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy.

B Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università degli Studi di Catania, Via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy.

C Corresponding author. Email: cristinamaria.patane@cnr.it

Crop and Pasture Science 66(2) 224-234 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP14152
Submitted: 5 June 2014  Accepted: 13 October 2014   Published: 24 February 2015

Abstract

A 2-year study was conducted to examine the impact of deficit irrigation on dry biomass, water-use efficiency (WUE), fruit yield and quality in open-field processing tomato at high plant density in a semi-arid environment. Three irrigation treatments (nil; and 100% (full) and 50% (deficit) restoration of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), respectively) and two plant densities (2.5 (P1) and 5.0 (P2) plants m–2) were studied. Dry biomass and fruit yield per plant were lower in P2 than in P1, but at high plant density the crop compensated for biomass and yield decrease at the plant level. Fruit yield in P2 was greater than that in P1, by 36% in 2004 and 33% in 2005. Water limitation improved quality traits compared with full irrigation. Deficit irrigation, especially in P2, enhanced WUE and allowed a water saving of >45% relative to full irrigation, while keeping high levels of fruit quality. The yield response factor, Ky, which correlates relative fruit yield losses to relative ETc reduction, was higher (0.63) than Kss (0.44), which correlates relative total dry biomass losses to relative ETc reduction, revealing a greater crop sensitivity to soil-water deficit in terms of fruit yield than dry biomass. Therefore, Ky may of use in identifying the plant density at which water productivity is maximised or yield losses are minimised.

Additional keywords: deficit irrigation, plant density, processing tomato, water-use efficiency, yield response factor.


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