The effect of mycorrhiza and Trichoderma inoculation on plant growth, yield, and fruit quality in soilless tomato (Solanum Iycopersicum) cultivation

In this study investigated the effects of mycorrhiza, Trichoderma, and the combination of mycorrhiza+Trichoderma on plant growth, yield, and fruit quality in coconut fiber media. Fungi were applied to the root zones of the plant seedlings immediately after planting. For the mycorrhiza inoculations, 0.1 grams per plant and for Trichoderma inoculations, 0.2 grams per plant were applied. According to the results, the mycorrhiza application provided a significant increase compared to the control group in total fruit count (93.46 fruits/plant), yield per plant (10.376 kg/plant), plant height (3.76 m), and root weight (221.3 g). At the same time, Trichoderma and Mycorrhiza+Trichoderma applications resulted in significant increases in lycopene (11.65 mg/100g), ß-carotene (3.78 mg/100g), and Vitamin-C (15.68 mg/100g) values. Moreover, the mycorrhiza+Trichoderma application reached higher values in leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid averages compared to the control group. The obtained data suggest that in soilless agriculture, mycorrhiza inoculation can be considered as an alternative method that can provide benefits in terms of productivity, while Trichoderma inoculation can provide significant benefits in terms of fruit quality.