Interactive Effects of Plastic Mulch and Tillage Method on Yield and Quality of Tomato in the Arid Lands of Iran

Field experiments were carried out to study the interactive effects of plastic mulch and tillage method on yield and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) during 2007 and 2008 growing seasons. Mulch levels in the study were plastic-mulching (PM; black plastic mulch) and no-mulching (NM) and tillage treatments were conventional tillage (CT; moldboard plowing + two passes of disk harrowing), minimum tillage (MT; one pass of disk harrowing) and no-tillage (NT). Yield, yield components (number of plants per hectare, NPPH; number of fruits per plant, NFPP; fruit weight, FW; fruit length, FL; fruit diameter, FD) and one quality parameter (total soluble solids, TSS) were determined for all treatments. Results indicated that mulch levels and tillage methods significantly (P 0.05) influenced yield, yield components and TSS. Results also showed that NPPH and NFPP were the most important yield components explaining yield difference under the different mulch levels and tillage methods. The maximum NPPH (10481), NFPP (17.6) and as a result yield (11.4 t ha ) were observed when 1 PM was applied, while maximum values of FW (67.5 g), FL (65.3 mm), FD (56.8 mm) and TSS (6.46%) were noted in case of NM plots. In contrast, minimum NPPH (7350), NFPP (14.2) and hence yield (7.36 t ha ) were obtained 1 with NM, while the minimum values of FW (61.1 g), FL (63.3 mm), FD (55.9 mm) and TSS (5.21%) were noted in case of PM treatment. Moreover, the maximum NPPH (11438), NFPP (20.4) and consequently yield (14.1 t ha ) 1 were observed with CT, while maximum values of FW (67.8 g), FL (68.9 mm), FD (58.9 mm) and TSS (6.35%) were noted NT plots. Conversely, minimum NPPH (6275), NFPP (12.2) and hence yield (5.24 t ha ) were obtained 1 with NT, while the minimum values of FW (60.6 g), FL (60.1 mm), FD (53.1 mm) and TSS (5.41%) were noted in case of CT treatment. On the whole, for reaching the highest yield and enhanced quality of tomato in the arid lands of Iran integrated use of mulch and tillage can be recommended.