Effects of fertilizer and irrigation on the quality of greenhouse grown tomatoes | |
| Author | Zhang, Li |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.AE-03-06 |
| Subject(s) | Tomatoes -- Growth Tomatoes -- Fertilizers Tomatoes -- Irrigation Greenhouse plants -- Irrigation |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AE-03-06 |
| Abstract | Two types of fertilizer and three frequencies of irrigation were applied to King Kong-TI tomatoes grown in the net greenhouse. One fertilizer (N:P:K = 7:12:40) was specially designed for the tomato plants, and another one (N:P:K = 19:32:26) was purchased from the local market. The daily irrigation frequency was varied from 4 times to 6 times and 8 times. Proportional injectors were used to supply fertilizer with irrigation water to the tomato plants. Timers were used to control the irrigation frequency. After harvesting of the tomato fruits, quality and maturity parameters were measured to evaluate the effects of fertilizer and irrigation frequency on the quality of tomato fruits. The results showed that the type of fertilizer significantly affected the tomato yield and plant heights. The irrigation frequency did not show significant effects on tomato quality and yield. The yield of tomatoes grown with the special fertilizer was much higher than that grown with the local fertilizer. As the tomato matured from green to red, the tomato chemical composition changed with ripening. The Brix value (sugar content) of tomato fruits increased gradually until the table red stage. During the storage of red tomatoes, the Brix declined until the tomatoes were off-flavor. In general, the Brix of tomatoes grown with the special fertilizer was lower than tomatoes grown with the local fertilizer. The additional nitrogen nutrient in the local fertilizer was attributed to the higher Brix of tomatoes grown with the local fertilizer. The acidity of tomatoes increased to maximum at red color stage, with the further storage, the tomato acidity showed decreased. This was true for all treatments. The pH of tomatoes grown with the local fertilizer was higher than those grown with the special fertilizer. The firmness of tomato was maximum at green tomatoes, but firmness continuously decreased until tomatoes were spoiled. The sensory evaluation easily distinguished the flavor differences of tomatoes from two types of fertilizers. In terms of consume preference, consumer preferred the fresh red tomatoes instead of stored red tomatoes. |
| Year | 2003 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AE-03-06 |
| 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) | Noomhorm Athapol ;Hemantha Jayasuriya ;Achilles, Thomas; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Hannover University, Germany; |
| Degree | Thesis ; no. AE-03-06 |