Effect of water supply and season on the productivity and carotenoid content of cherry type processing tomato

Abstract

The weather, the growing conditions and the genetic background of the varieties determine the efficiency of processing tomato growing. During years Strombolino a cherry type tomato hybrid with determinate growth habit was investigated to show the effect of unirrigated and regularly irrigated treatments on the yield quantity and phytonutrients content under open field conditions. Too much water (precipitation + irrigation) was disadvantaged for the productivity and yield quality of cherry tomato hybrid because the amount of diseased yield increased while the soluble solids content (°Brix) and lycopene content of tomato fruit decreased. In the mildly wet year, irrigation had positive effect on the marketable yield, the β-carotene and zeaxanthin content of tomato fruit but the ratio of diseased fruit increased. In the dry years smaller weighed fruits were produced but the regular irrigation significantly increased the marketable yield, °Brix, β-carotene and cis lycopene content of fruit.