Deficit irrigation and partial rootzone drying maintain fruit dry mass and enhance fruit quality in 'Petopride' processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill.)

Water supply is limited worldwide and there is a need for saving of water in irrigation. This research compared deficit irrigation (DI) with partial rootzone drying (PRD) for their effects on yield and fruit quality of 'Petopride', a processing tomato cultivar. The treatments were: full watering of both sides of the root system (RS) at each irrigation considered as the control (C), half of irrigation water in C divided equally to both sides of the RS with each watering (DI), and half of irrigation water in C given only to one side of the RS with each irrigation (PRD). There were no significant differences in fruit dry mass among treatments at P less than or equal to 0.06, and the following treatment effects were observed at P less than or equal to 0.05. Fruit number and fruit water content (FWC) were reduced in DI and PRD relative to C, and fruit were redder in the former two treatments. Concentration of soluble solids, was higher in DI and PRD fruit than in C fruit. Maturity in PRD fruit was advanced by one week compared to DI and C fruit. But dry mass yield and fruit quality attributes were the same between DI and PRD treatments. DI and PRD are feasible water saving practices for areas with limited water supply. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.