ISHS Acta Horticulturae 559: V International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates: Current Trends for Suistainable Technologies
YIELD RESPONSES OF SOILLESS MELON AND TOMATO TO DIFFERENT IRRIGATION WATER QUALITIES |
| Authors: | F.M. del Amor, P. Flores, M. Carvajal, V. Martínez, J.M. Navarro, A. Cerdá |
| Keywords: | Melon (Cucumis melo L), Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), salinity, tolerance, yield modelling, fruit quality |
| Abstract:
Melon (Cucumis melo L.), cv. Galia, and Tomato (Lycopersicon escuentum Mill.), cv. Daniela, plants were grown in a greenhouse equipped with automatic irrigation control for nutrient solution supply. Plants were transplanted into commercial perlite bags. Treatments consisted of applying solutions of electrical conductivity (EC) 2 (control), 4, 6 and 8 dS m-1 at different phenological stages. In melon plants, results show a 16% fruit yield reduction when 4 dSm-1 is applied from 14 DAT (days after transplanting) and 9% when applied from 71 DAT. However, for high level salinity (8 dS m-1) the reductions were 56% and 16% respectively. Reductions of yield upon early treatment applications were due to a reduced number of fruits, but yield effects of later-commencing treatments were due to a decrease in individual mean weight. For tomato, 4 dS m-1 applied from 16 DAT onwards reduced yield by 10 % with respect to the control but when applied from 66 DAT there was no effect. The 8 dS m-1 treatment decreased yield by 49% and 39% when applied from 16 and 66 DAT respectively. A van Genuchten model was applied and showed that there were significant treatment effects, melon yield showing a C50 of ca. 7, 8, 12 and 14 dS m-1 (at 14, 37, 56 and 71 DAT respectively) whereas for tomato values were ca. 7, 8 and 9 dS m-1 (at 16, 36 and 66 DAT respectively). Increased salinity at the later stages improved quality in both tomato and melon fruits. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
