Fruit formation, marketable yield and fruit quality of tomato varieties grown under protected culture in two agro ecological zones during the rainy season

Abstract

Environmental limitations in agriculture can be successhlly overcome wit11 the use of protected (indoor) culture. Howevel; the powtll and developme~t of indoor grown crops with pa~tial environmental control vary with season, location and crop genetic dif~"erences. This rescarcll was conducted to study the influence of agro-ecological conditions and varietal differences on fiuit development, yield and fiuit quality of' protected c~~lture grown tomato during the rainy season. The location, Rallangala (upcountry intermediate zone) enhanced the yield components, hit size and damage-free fruits under rainy weatller. Fruits at Peradeniya (midcountry wet zone) had higllcl. tolal soluhlc solids (TSS), fruit acidity and locular material contents compared to Rahangala. Protected culture gave greater iiuit formation, yield (fruit weight and numbcr of'marketahle fruits), f'luit size and damage-free fruits than the open field culture. As a result ofthe interaction between culture and locati.on, the hjghest yield and fruit size were reported at Rallangala while the highest TSS w'as reported at Peradeniya in protected culture. More marketable fiuits of cultivar T-245, Iligl~er f111it weight of cultivar Heat; Master and liiigher yield of cultivar Cariho were found, especially under protected culture. Caribo appeared to he suitable for both regions while Heat Master and T-245 were better adapted to Ral~angala and Pcradeniya, respectively. The polythene llouse with improved technology was more productive usder the agro-ecological conditions at Rallangala duxing MuIra season in terms of yield and external fiuit quality of tomato while it was more suitahle,for Peradeniya during XL~U, season in terms of internal fuit quality of tomato.