Growth and Yield of Tomato Influenced by Condition of Culture, Mulch, and Planting Date.

Below optimal temperatures can restrict growth of autumn planted tomato (Solanum lycopersicumL.), resulting in delayed fruiting and decreased fruit yield under field conditions. Technology for growing tomato under protected structures needs to be standardized. This study was conducted to determine effects of culture condition, planting date, and application of mulch on plant growth and fruit yield of tomato. To determine whether time of establishment affected results, plants were established in the first and third weeks of October and the first week of November of 2010 and 2011 in a polyhouse or open field using the mulch treatments black polyethylene, clear polyethylene, paddy straw, or no mulch. Root zone and air temperatures and net radiation were measured. Treatments affected plant height, fruit number, fruit weight, early yield, marketable yield, and total yield. Except for early yield, results were consistent between years. Black polyethylene mulch increased fruit number under the polyhouse and in the open field. Fruit weight was improved by mulch treatments only in the open field. Highest early, marketable, and total yields were from planting in the polyhouse in the third week of October using black polyethylene mulch, and this is attributed to increased root zone temperature, air temperature, and net radiation. Use of polyhouse and black plastic mulch combined with appropriate planting time improves early and total yields of tomato in areas where the production is constrained by suboptimal temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]