Journal
HORTICULTURAE
Volume 8, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae8080718
Keywords
superabsorbent polymer; processing tomato; deficit irrigation; drought tolerance; water-saving strategies
Categories
Funding
- European Union [862663]
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This study evaluated the effects of using commercial SAP amendment on the drought tolerance of tomatoes in a commercial farm in northern Italy. The results showed that the application of SAP improved tomato yield and irrigation water use efficiency, allowing for a 25% reduction in water supply while maintaining comparable yield and quality to full irrigation control.
Drought risk is significantly increasing as a consequence of climate change, and the Mediterranean basin will be among the most affected areas by water scarcity in Europe. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are soil amendments capable to retain water and release it when drought occurs. In the present study, the ability of a commercial SAP to improve the drought tolerance of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was assessed on a commercial farm located in northern Italy. A strip plot experimental design was adopted, where three irrigation treatments (IRR100, IRR75, and IRR50, respectively, restituting 100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration) were combined with the application of the SAP (control vs. soil amended with SAP). No significant interaction was observed between irrigation treatments and SAP application in yield and quality traits. SAP application allowed for an average increase in tomato yield (+16.4%) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (+15.8%), determined by a higher number of marketable fruits. The irrigation strategy IRR75 + SAP maintained the same yield and quality as the full irrigation control (IRR100), increasing the IWUE by about 37%. The experiment demonstrated that, for processing tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean, it is possible to reduce the water supply by 25% when SAP amendment is applied to the soil.
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