Effects of different scion-rootstock grafting combinations on water use efficiency, fruit yield and quality of tomato plant under water limited and low phosphorus conditions

In this study, the effects of different water and phosphorus applications on the tomato plant grafted on four rootstocks based on the plant growth and plant yield and quality specialties as well as the utilization of water were investigated. The study, in which 4 different genotypes (TLO1749, K, 194, BOLUDO) were used as rootstock and BOLUDO as the grafting scion, was conducted under glass house conditions in the Department of Agricultural Structures and Irrigation at Çukurova University in Adana in 2014. In the course of the experiments, irrigation was applied as water deficient and full irrigation, and phosphorus application was conducted as full phosphorus and phosphorus deficient fertilization. The study was planned as three-factor randomized parcel design and in three replicates. In the study, plant growth parameters (plant height, plant stem diameter, total fresh and dry weight of biomass), yield and yield components as well as plant quality parameters (percentage of dry matter in plant, pH value in fruit juice) and some eco-physiological parameters (leaf water potential and stomatal conductivity) were investigated. The study revealed that water stress (drought) affected all plant growth and yield parameters adversely. Based on fruit yield results, while the differences among the rootstocks and those among the irrigation applications were statistically significant at %1, the differences in the applications of phosphorus were not found to be statistically significant. The highest yield was obtained from the rootstock TLO1749, followed by 194, BOLUDO and K rootstocks. It was observed that, under water-deficient conditions, the rootstock 194 utilized water more efficiently compared to the other rootstocks. While the deficiency phosphorus caused decreases in such fruit quality characteristics as average fruit weight, fruit height, fruit diameter and fruit volume, it did not have a significant effect on fruit yield. The deficiency of water and phosphorus (phosphorus application x irrigation interaction) was also found to be statistically significant on total fruit yield as multiple stress.