Optimal tomato irrigation regime for single-use mechanized harvesting in the Republic of Kalmykia

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “B.B. Gorodovikov Kalmyk State University”, 11 Pushkina Str., 358000, Elista, Russia

^* Corresponding author: vladimir-ba@mail.ru

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal time for stopping watering tomatoes during one-time mechanized harvesting, for obtaining the maximum yield with high fruit quality in the natural and climatic conditions of the Republic of Kalmykia. The scheme of the field experiment included options for stopping watering when 10, 30, 50% of ripe fruits were reached. The irrigation regime, in relation to single-use mechanized harvesting, was studied when growing tomatoes in the open ground by the seedling method with a drip irrigation. Soil moisture, in the period from full plant survival to maturation of 10% of tomato fruits, was maintained in the range of 80-85% FC in all variants of the experiment. The object of research was a zoned variety of tomato Moryana. The cessation of watering by the time of maturation of 10% of fruits on tomato plantings did not significantly affect the total yield of the crop, while the number of whole commercial tomato fruits amounted to 83.3% versus 81.8% with the cessation of watering at 50% of mature fruits, the proportion of fruits with pedicels decreased from 2.2% to 1.7%, crushed – from 3.6% to 3.2%, with fresh cracks – from 3.0% to 2.7% and fruits with damaged skin from 9.6% to 8.9%, the content of dry substances, the amount of sugars and ascorbic acid increased in the fruits, no negative effect on the growth and development of tomato plants was noted.