Effect of soilless substrates on greenhouse tomato yield in the tropics | |
| Author | Johnson, Ancy Rabalson |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.AE-08-08 |
| Subject(s) | Hydroponics--Tropics Tomatoes--Tropics Greenhouse plants--Tropics |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Agricultural Systems and Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AE-08-08 |
| Abstract | Three tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum.mill ) varieties (FMTT 260, King Kong II and New King Kong) were grown in two greenho uses. Experiments were conducted in two seasons namely June to November 2007 and November to March 2008 respectively. Six substrates were used as growing medium fo r the plants (Rock Wool, Vermiculite, Peat Moss, Coir pith, Pot Mixture and Saw Dust). Various plant growing characters were measured. The nutrient analysis was conducted. It was found that saw dust gave very low concentration of nitrogen in the leachate. The water holding capacity of the 6 substrates were measured. The coir pith was found to have high water holdi ng capacity of 61.4%, the least water holding capacity was observed fo r saw dust (20.04%). The water use efficiency of the treatments was high in the first season. The treatmen t combination of FMTT 260 + peat moss and New King Kong + coir pith, gave high water use efficien cy in the first and second seasons respectively. The marketable yield was 6% and 30% for th e first and second seasons respectively. The King Kong II variety gave very low yield in all the substrates. FMTT 260 gave the highest yield followed by New King Kong. The fruits of the FMTT 260 variety were firm and the New King Kong fruits were found to be least firm and were more susceptible to fruit cracking. On the whole, the season during July to November was found to be unfavorable for the plant growth due to the temperature variations and more susceptibility to pest and disease infestation. |
| Year | 2008 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AE-08-08 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salokhe, Vilas M.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Jayasuriya, Hemantha P. W.;Max, Johannes;Soni Peeyush; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Protected Cultivation Project;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2008 |