The effect of different irrigation programs and plant densities on the quality of processing tomato

This research was conducted in the Research, Application and Production Farm of Faculty of Agriculture at Adnan Menderes University during the years of 1998 and 1999 to determine the effects of different planting methods, different irrigation methods and different irrigation water levels on some quality parameters of processing tomato, namely fruit weight, brix, paste output, pH and color (a/b). Treatments was carried out in split-slit plot design with three factors and four replications. In the trials sixteen irrigation treatments comprised of two different planting methods (single and double row), two different irrigation methods (drip and furrow) and four irrigation levels determined by using four pan coefficients (k1: 0.35; k2: 0.70; k3: 1.05; k4: 1.40). As a result, different planting methods affected fruit weight and the highest fruit weights were obtained from single rows as 79.78 g. It was determined that different irrigation water levels have got important effect on brix. Due to the different irrigation water levels, brix value was changed between %3.89 and 4.87. Anohter quality criteria named paste output was effected by different irrigation methods, planting methods x irrigation water levels and irrigation methods x irrigation water levels interactions. The all three factors investigated has no significant effect on pH and colour (a/b). pH values ranged between 4.23-4.48 and colour (a/b) ranged between 2.65-2.73.