Lu. Puiupol et al., GROWTH, YIELD, AND POSTHARVEST ATTRIBUTES OF GLASSHOUSE TOMATOES PRODUCED UNDER DEFICIT IRRIGATION, HortScience, 31(6), 1996, pp. 926-929
In glasshouse-grown tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. 'Virosa'),
deficit irrigation (DI), in which plant water potential was allowed t
o decrease from -0.5 to -1.2 MPa, reduced plant growth and fruit yield
, size and count, and caused blossom-end rot. Deficit-irrigated fruit
had higher color intensity, lower water content, and higher concentrat
ion of sucrose, glucose, and fructose than web-watered (control) fruit
. Fruit concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K were the same for both treatme
nts on a dry weight basis, but they were higher in DI fruit than in co
ntrol fruit on a fresh weight basis. Fruit gas exchange was measured f
or two 30-day-apart harvests. For both harvests, DI fruit produced hig
her quantities of CO2 and ethylene than control fruit. Ethylene and CO
2 production peaks coincided for the first harvest in both treatments.
In the second harvest, the CO2 production peak preceded that of ethyl
ene. Despite yield reduction, DI enhanced fruit desirability in terms
of higher concentration of soluble sugars and higher color intensity.