Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In this study, we evaluated the e ect of various fertilization regimes on processing tomato
(Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Heinz 3402) yield and quality by applying the following treatments: (i)
control (C), (ii) conventional fertilizer (21-0-0, N-P-K) (CF), (iii) slow release nitrogen fertilizer 46-0-0
(SR), (iv) conventional fertilizer (21-0-0, N-P-K) + Zeolite (CFZ), and v) composted sheep manure (M).
The results of the study showed that the SR and CFZ treatments resulted in the highest fruit yield per
hectare compared to the rest of the fertilizer and the control treatments. Fruit firmness was higher for
the treatments C,Mand SR, while color parameters (chroma and hue angle) were higher for the C and
M treatments, respectively. Moreover, the total soluble solids content (TSS; Brix) was higher when
manure (M) was applied. In terms of chemical composition, the total and individual tocopherols
and sugars were the highest for the M and C treatments, respectively, whereas the oxalic, malic and
total organic acid contents were the highest for the CFZ treatment. Moreover, the tested treatments
showed a varied response in di erent antioxidant assays, although the M treatment exhibited a high
antioxidant capacity in most of the assays, except for the -carotene/linoleate assay. The carotenoid
and chlorophyll contents were the highest for the control treatment. The main detected fatty acid
was linoleic acid, followed by palmitic, oleic and -linolenic acid, while the CFZ treatment had the
highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) due to its high content of linoleic acid. In
conclusion, although the application of fertilizers increased yield, the quality parameters and chemical
composition showed a varied response to the fertilization regime, especially the TSS content and juice
pH and electric conductivity (EC), which are significant for the marketability of the final product.
Description
Keywords
Antioxidant activity Carotene Lycopene Nitrogen fertilization Organic acids Processing tomato Solanum lycopersicum cv. Heinz 3402 Tocopherols Total soluble solids
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Petropoulos, Spyridon A.; Xyrafis, Eustratios; Polyzos, Nikolaos; Antoniadis, Vasileios; Fernandes, Ângela; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. (2020). The optimization of nitrogen fertilization regulates crop performance and quality of processing tomato (solanum lycopersicum l. cv. Heinz 3402). Agronomy. ISSN 2073-4395. 10%, p. 1-19