Effects of salinity and fertilization on tomato

This study was carried out to determine the effects of different levels of salinity in irrigation water (500, 1000 and 2000 mu mhos.cm(-1), 25 degrees C) and fertilization (F-1, F-2 and F-3), and the interaction between these two factors on the growth and yield of tomato plants (cv. Fantastic 144) grown under greenhouse conditions. Initially, although soil salinity was 1.6 mmhos.cm(-1), it was found to be 2.74, 4.15 and 5.85 mmhos.cm(-1) at the end of the growing period, as a result of fertilizer and irrigation water applications at 500, 1000 and 2000 mu mhos.cm(-1) EC levels, respectively. These values suggest that the salt accumulated in the soil should be leached away after the growing period. The interaction between water and fertilizer applications had significant effects on the yield. This finding indicated that the salinity level of irrigation water is a factor that should be considered in the fertilization program. Although fertilization level was either not important or negative in greenhouses irrigated with water high in EC value, relatively high levels of fertilization had a positive effect on yield irrigated with waters low in EC values. For this reason, if the EC level of irrigation water is high, low doses of fertilizer should be preferred in practice.