EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SPACINGS AND FERTILIZER DOSES ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO F1 HYBRID {Lycopersicon esculentum Mill)
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Date
2004-06-29
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MAHATMA PHULE KRISHI VIDYAPEETH, RAHURI - 413 722, DIST.AHMEDNAGAR, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken during kharif season of 2003 at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, with a view to workout optimum plant spacing and fertilizer dose for newly evolved tomato F1, hybrid. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with 12 treatment combinations, comprising four spacings (90 x 30, 90 x 45, 75 x 30 and 75 x 45 cm) and three fertilizer doses (200 : 100 : 100, 300 : 150 : 150 and 400 : 200 : 200 kgNPK/ha). Result revealed that factor spacing significantly influenced plant growth, fruit yield and quality parameters. In closer spacing, number of days to 50 per cent flowering was reduced. However, the fruit volume, weight of fruit and number of branches per plant were increased at wider spacing. The yield attributing parameters such as number of total and marketable fruits per plant and total yield per plant (kg) were increased at wider spacing (90 x 45 cm), while total and marketable yield per hectare were significantly increased at closer spacing (i.e. 913.18 and 806.76 q/ha at 75 x 30 cm, respectively). The fruit quality parameters such as shelf life, juice content (%) and TSS (%) were increased at wider spacing (1.22 days, 7.46 and 0.4 °/o, respectively), while acidity (%) and ascorbic acid content (mg/100 g) increased at closer spacing (0.06 and 5.78 °/o, respectively). The per cent incidence of spotted wilt virus was noticed minimum at closer spacing due to higher plant density. Similarly, factor fertilizer dose significantly influenced plant growth and fruit characters. Growth contributing characters (days to 50 % flowering, height of plant and number of branches per plant) and fruit characters (size, volume and weight of fruit) were significantly highest at fertilizer dose 400:200:200 NPK kg/ha. Number of total and marketable fruits per plant and total yield per plant as well as per hectare increased significantly with increase in doses of fertilizer and accordingly total and marketable yield were recorded the highest values at 400:200:200 NPK kg/ha (865.12 and 783.63 q/ha, respectively) which were at par with 300:150:150 NPK kg/ha (834.11 and 749.38 q/ha, respectively). The fruit quality parameters such as TSS (%), juice (%), acidity (°/o) and ascorbic acid content were linearly increased with increase in doses of fertilizer and thus improved biochemical status was observed with higher fertilizer dose. However, shelf life of fruits was decreased with increase in doses of fertilizer (1.5 days) and best storage (10.17 days) was noticed with 200:100:100 NPK kg/ha. Nevertheless, significant interaction effects of both the factors i.e. spacings and fertilizer doses were also observed on growth, yield and quality parameters of tomato F1, hybrid. The highest total fruit yield per hectare was recorded at the closer spacing 75 x 30 cm with 300:150:150 NPK kg/ha (1036.16 q/ha) followed by wider spacing of 90 x 30 cm with 400:200:200 NPK kg/ha (1015.18 q/ha) which was at par with each other. In these both treatment combinations, the highest marketable fruit yield (928 q/ha) was recorded. However, the maximum fruit yield per plant was recorded at the widest spacing of 90 x 45 cm with 400:200:200 NPK kg/ha. On the basis of benefit to cost ratio obtained from different fertilizer doses, the best fertilizer dose was 400:200:200 followed by 300:150:150 NPK kg/ha. hus by considering overall performance, it was concluded that newly developed tomato F1, hybrid by M.P.K.V., Rahuri should planted either at closer spacing of 75 x 30 cm with fertilizer dose of 300:150:150 NPK kg/ha or at wider spacing of 90 x 30 cm with fertilizer dose of 400:200:200 NPK kg/ha.