Impact of Bio solarization on the ecofriendly cultivation of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
T. Uma Maheswari and A.P. Gokul
Department of Horticulture Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University Annamalai nagar-608 002 (India) umahorti2003@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The present investigation on “Impact of bio solarization on the ecofriendly cultivation of tomato” was taken up in a farmer’s field. Tomato, (Solanum lycopersicum L.) belongs to the family Solanaceae, cultivated extensively for its edible fruits. It is labeled as a vegetable for nutritional purposes rich in vitamin C and the phytochemical lycopene. The fruits are commonly eaten raw as salads, served as a cooked vegetable, used as an ingredient of various dishes, and pickled. Additionally, a large percentage of the world’s tomato crop is used for processing; products include canned tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, puree, and dehydrated pulp. The experiment was conducted to study the effect of solarization in bio amended soil for the eco friendly weed management in tomato involving solarization with various amendments viz., tomato processing waste, grape processing waste, cruciferous crop waste, tomato plant debris and Allium sp. waste. This experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with 10 treatments combinations replicated thrice. The treatments include a combination of solarization for four weeks with five different amendments viz., tomato processing waste, grape processing waste, cruciferous crop waste, tomato plant debris and Allium spp. waste along with amendments without solarization. The results of the experiment revealed that solarization treatment with cruciferous plant waste followed by Allium spp. waste were found to be effective in increasing the soil temperature on all days of observation. Similarly, the lowest weed population, were registered in the treatment receiving cruciferous plant waste followed by Allium spp. waste.