Tomato crop behaviour under four water regimes

Abstract

 In order to evaluate the effect of four irrigation regimes for tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), an experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with four treatments and eight replication at the Experiment Station of the Middle-North Research Center (Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Meio-Norte) of EMBRAPA, at Parnaíba, PI, Brazil. The treatments were the irrigation regimes defined by four different levels of Class A evaporation pan multiplied by the factor whose value was given according to the crop development. In absolute values, regime 4 showed the highest productivity concerning total yield (84.79 t/ha), commercial yield (75.62 t/ha) and great fruits (34.62 t/ha). Regimes 1, 2 and 3 showed total yield between 74.48 and 75.75 t/ha, and yields of commercial fruits between 65.72 and 69.07 t/ha. Regime 4 showed the smallest water use efficiency. Regime 1 showed the best water use efficiency but a little different from regime 2 and 3. In economical terms, regime 4 was the most viable to be used, overcoming regime 1 net income in 17.98%.