EFFECTS OF SHADING AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON TOMATO YIELD AND QUALITY

The present study was carried out to determine the effects of 50% shading and three different organic fertilizers [rice husk compost (RHC), broad bean green manure (B) and turnip residues (T)] on yield and quality parameters of tomatoes cv. Sumela F1 grown in the field. The plants grown in shade (50 %) had a higher (p<0.01) leaf chlorophyll content and leaf photosynthetic rate, fruit yield, firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and vitamin C than those grown unshaded. The highest leaf photosynthetic rate (88.31 mu mol O-2 m(-2) s(-1)), fruit firmness (19.62 N) and fruit vitamin C content (38.44mg 100 g(-1) ) were obtained from turnip residues (T) treatment under shading. The highest values for SSC (5.6%), yield (3.97 kgper plant) and leaf chlorophyll content (46.68 CCI) were obtained fromshaded and broad bean green manure treatment.