STUDIES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) DURING SUMMER UNDER MODIFIED MICROCLIMATE BY DIFFERENT INTER-CROPPING SYSTEMS AND WITH GROWTH REGULATOR TREATMENT'.

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Date
2004
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Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University
Abstract
A study was undertaken on performance of tomato during summer by intercropping tomato varieties Marutham and Pusa Early Dwarf with maize in alleys of guava, maize alone or guava alone besides sole cropping of tomato with or without NAA 25 ppm spray in a factorial randomized block design replicated thrice during summer season 2003 at Students farm, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The effect of microclimatic ameliorations in the intercropping systems besides the effect of NAA on plant height of tomato, number of branches per plant, days to 50 per cent flowering, pollen viability and per cent hit set, hit weight, hit diameter, days taken to first and final harvest, number of fruits per plant, hit yield per plant and per ha, hit quality (TSS, acidity, reducing sugars, vitamin C, lycopene content and shelf-life of tomato hits) besides economics of the treatments were studied. Intercropping of tomato with maize in alleys of guava resulted in significant increase in plant height, number of branches per plant of tomato maximum pollen viability (1 8.13 %) and fruit set (23.27 %) compared to other intercropping treatments and sole crop with or without NAA 25 ppm spray. Fruit yield and quality was also improved under intercropping treatments. Shelf-life of tomato fruits was prolonged by four days when tomato was associated with maize as intercrop in alleys of guava. Application of NAA 25 ppm significantly improved pollen viability and fruit set compare to control (sole) tomato, but did not affect other parameters like fruit yield and quality. Intercropping treatments resulted in amelioration of microclimate particularly when tomato was intercropped with maize in alleys of guava. A reduction in leaf temperature by 1.67OC and increase in relative humidity by 7 per cent compared to control, exhibited an increase in stomata1 difhsive resistance and decrease in transpiration of tomato. Gross and net returns were higher when tomato was intercropped in guava alleys with or without maize as intercrop. The benefit:cost ratio also indicated a favourable trend for intercropping treatments than for sole crop treatments. A benefit : Cost ratio of 2.24 was recorded when Pusa Early Dwarf tomato was intercropped in guava alone compared to 2.05 for Murutharn variety. Sole treatments recorded a very low B:C ratio of less than unity. Growing of tomato particularly Pusa Early Dwarf variety in alleys of guava with maize was found to be highly productive and remunerative during summer when its demand is high duahort supply.
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D7070
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