Effects of different leaching fractions and substrates on tomato growing

This study was conducted during the autumn and spring seasons of 1999 and 2000 to determine the effects of two leaching fractions and two locally available substrates on yield, fruit quality and water and nutrient consumption of tomato. Irrigation was realized according to the leaching fractions adjusted as 5-10% or 15-20%. The tested substrates were (1) perlite and (2) perlite + peat (3:1, v/v). The experimental design was a split plot with 4 replicates. The main plots and sub-subplots were leaching fractions and substrates, respectively. Besides the total yield and some quality parameters (average fruit weight, total soluble solids, total dry matter content, pH, EC, vitamin C and titratable acidity), water and nutrient consumption were determined. The average total yields were 11.46 and 14.78 kg m(-2) in autumn and spring seasons, respectively. The amount of average water and nutrient saved by the decreasing of leaching fraction was 15% in autumn and 10% in spring.