The effects of trickle irrigation and raised beds on tomato production in Tennessee

The effects of trickle irrigation and raised beds on the yield of "Flora-Dade" tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were studied under Tennessee growing conditions. Early and total marketable yields and the percentages of marketable yield all differed significantly between the irrigated and non-irrigated treatments. Irrigation resulted in an increase of over 50 percent in marketable yields for the combined three years of experimentation, while there were little or no significant differences in total marketable yields between flat and raised bed culture.

Concentrations of N, P, K, and Ca in leaf tissue were not influenced by irrigation or by raised beds. Tissue from non-irrigated plants had higher concentrations of Mg than those from irrigated plants. These findings were related to soil pH, which was higher in irrigated than in non-irrigated treatments.

Fruit firmness, which was determined by both objective and subjective methods, was not significantly influenced by irrigation treatments. The pH of pureed fruit also was uninfluenced by irrigation treatments.

Post harvest firmness measures extended over a storage period of 11 days and showed that 23°C (room temperature) fruit from irrigated plants were firmer than those from non-irrigated plants. Fruits stored at 10°C for 23 days were also firmer from irrigated than from non-irrigated plants.

The irrigated treatments had significantly taller and more vigorous plants. Although subjective disease ratings were not significantly different among treatments, plants in irrigated treatments appeared less severely infected with foliage diseases and more vigorous than the non-irrigated plants. Root measurements made at the end of each season indicated that rooting depth and pattern were significantly affected by irrigation. Plants grown in the irrigated treatments appeared to have better developed root systems and were more vigorous than those grown in non-irrigated treatments.