Comparative performance of tomato varieties and hybrids under shade and open conditions Thangam M.1,*, Thamburaj S. Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641 003. *Corresponding author's: E-mail: thangamgoa@gmail.com
1Present address: ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Ela, Old Goa, 403 402. Abstract The study on effect of shade on growth, yield and quality of six varieties and fourteen hybrids in tomato was conducted under agro shade net (50 percent) and in open field simultaneously during consecutive summer seasons. Plants grown under shade exhibited better growth in terms of plant height and dry matter production compared to those in open field. During the summer season among the genotypes evaluated, the hybrid Naveen was the tallest under shade and in open fields. In general, delayed flowering and days to first harvest was noticed under shade. During summer, the highest mean fruit weight recorded under shade was 59.5 g in hybrid Rashmi. The number of fruits per plant was more in open field than under shade. The yield under shade was low compared to open field. Avinash-2 recorded the highest yield in open field as well as under shade. In respect of biochemical constituents like TSS, acidity, ascorbic acid and pH of fruit juice, there were significant differences between shade and open conditions. Top Key words Tomato, shade, open, field, performance, yield, quality. Top |