Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation

Niharika Gadde; Ambrose Anoruo; Benjamin Tuner; Paul Holland; Shad Nelson

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation

Niharika Gadde

, Ambrose Anoruo^*

, Benjamin Tuner

, Paul Holland

, Shad Nelson

Published in International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 4)

Received: 4 June 2025 Accepted: 18 June 2025 Published: 21 July 2025

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Abstract

A greenhouse study of deficit irrigation was conducted to understand the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement that limits growth and development of Roma tomato. Seedlings of the crop were germinated and transplanted into 20 cm diameter pots in a mixture of 2: 1 topsoil and perlite. The 200 seedlings were arranged in a randomized complete block replicated five times such that each block contained 40 seedlings. Deficit irrigation treatments included 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the amount of control freshwater. Crop growth and development parameters studied include relative growth rate, fresh and dry vegetative biomass accumulation, chlorophyll content, leaf area, stomatal conductance, and number of flower buds and flowers as a consequence of deficit irrigation. Results of the study indicate a two-tier effect of deficit irrigation on the crop with no growth loss at the vegetative growth phase even at 50% irrigation, but a significant reduction in flower bud initiation and flowering even at the 75% irrigation. Based on these results, it is recommended that deficit irrigation up to 50% of optimum evapotranspiration requirement of Roma tomato be adopted as a water conservation strategy at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to the full evapotranspiration water requirement at the onset of flower bud initiation.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
Page(s)	120-125
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Cultivation, Chlorophyll Content, Stomatal Conductance, Relative Growth, Evapotranspiration, Freshwater, Conservation, Solanum lycopersicum

1. Introduction

Traditional irrigation methods intended to supply all the water necessary for crop growth and development are becoming unsustainable in many parts of the world due to water scarcity. As a result, research into alternate irrigation techniques that reduce water consumption without compromising crop yield has increased

[1-4]

. Deficit irrigation (DI), an alternative irrigation technique, has been defined as the practice of applying lower amounts of water than the general crop evapotranspiration requirement to increase water use efficiency of the crop without reduction in its yield

[1, 5]

Deficit irrigation has been applied to many crops including grapes, olives, citrus, and many others that have responded well with improved water use efficiency and a minimal reduction in yield

[6]

. One of the most abundantly grown and economically most important crops worldwide is tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

[7-9]

. Tomatoes are famous for their versatility and nutritional value and are essential to food in the diets of people all over the world whether eaten fresh or processed. Roma tomato has dense fleshy meso- and endocarps, low water content, and more robust flavor hence its preference for use in sauces, pastes and canning compared to the other tomato varieties

[10]

. Given the global demand for tomato, optimization of its cultivation in the era of global freshwater scarcity is vital to ensure food production and financial stability of tomato farmers

[11]

and this requires the development of novel irrigation techniques for Solanum species. Some studies

[1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12]

have applied various techniques, and forms of modified freshwater irrigation in crop production, and achieved growth, development and yield results comparable to the full evapotranspiration needs of the crop species. For example, bell pepper suffered no loss of yield when grown at 75% of its evapotranspiration freshwater requirement

[10]

Although positive results of growing crops with reduced or modified freshwater requirement of some agricultural crops have been reported, there are still problems associated with deficit irrigation

[13]

. For example, water stress can cause poor fruit set, blossom end rot, and undersized fruit in tomato if the crop’s specific water requirements and irrigation reduction time are not adhered in its growing cycle. Also, excessive DI impacts tomato fruit color and flavor, and reduces fruit quality, quantity and yield

[14, 15]

. Additionally, Van et al.

[13]

warned that DI must be carefully timed and regulated to prevent negative effects such as blossom end rot, poor fruit set, and reduced marketability.

While there is abundant evidence in support of or against DI, there is a lack of sufficient studies to determine the limit of DI that supports evapotranspiration water needs of major food crops. There are suggestions gleaned from DI studies but none has been designed to study specifically the deficit fraction of the optimum evapotranspiration requirement of a crop that induces reduction in growth and development of the crop. We report the results of a study of the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement of Roma tomato at which growth and development of this important food crop is compromised. The purpose is to achieve optimum production with less water as a conservation strategy for freshwater resource in the context of increasing water shortage in agriculture due to human population pressure and climate change.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Location and Experimentation

Seeds of Solanum lycopersicum of the Ferry Morse Roma variety were germinated in a mixture of topsoil and perlite (1: 1) at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville greenhouse located 27° 31′ 50.3″ N and 97° 53′ 13.8″ W in mid June, 2024 at an average day and night temperatures of 29.4°C and 21°C respectively. The seedlings were transplanted into celled trays filled with 2: 1 topsoil: perlite and fertilized with 3.44 gL^-1 NPK 30: 10: 10. The seedlings were further transplanted into 20 cm diameter pot filled with the same topsoil and perlite mixture (2: 1) after three weeks. The transplants were watered thoroughly and 200 pots were randomly selected for the study. The average pH of the potting mixture was 7.05 as measured at each watering throughout the study.

The plants were arranged on greenhouse tables in five randomized blocks such that each block contained 40 plants. The study included four treatments of 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% deficit irrigation. The treatments were randomly assigned such that 10 plants per block received a treatment, thus the four treatments were represented in each block and replicated five times. Irrigation treatments were conducted only when the control treatment (100%) started showing early signs of leaf limp (droop/wilting). Irrigation water at 100% treatment was measured so the amount of water to attain potting soil capacity was recorded, and fractions of 75%, 50% and 25% of the control were used as deficit irrigation treatments.

2.2. Morphological and Physiological Growth Parameters Studied

The morphological and physiological growth parameters studied include plant relative growth rate (RGR), leaf area (LA), fresh biomass (FB), dry biomass (DB), number of flower buds (NFB), number of flowers (NF), chlorophyll content (CC), and stomatal conductance (SC).

Plant height was measured weekly in cm from the soil line at crown to the shoot tip, and used to compute relative growth rate according to Lebaka et al

[3]

. Leaf area (LA) was measured with the CI-202 Portable Laser Leaf Area meter manu factured by CID Bio-Science, Washington, U.S.A. Fresh biomass of the experimental plants was harvested in October 2024, four months after seed germination, and weighed to obtain the weight of fresh plant biomass. The fresh biomass was dried at air temperature in the greenhouse until constant weight before weighing to obtain the dry weight of the plants under the different treatments. The number of flower buds, and flowers was visually counted weekly from the onset of bud initiation through the end of the study in October 2024.

Chlorophyll content was measured once every week using SPAD-502 Plus chlorophyll meter (manufactured by Konica Minolta Inc., Japan) in SPAD Units. Randomly selected topmost fully expanded leaves of each plant, often the third leaf plastochron from the stem apex, were selected for CC and SC measurements. Stomatal conductance was measured using the leaf porometer manufactured by Decagon Devices, Washington, USA.

3. Results

Two separate statistics were adopted to explore information obtained from the parameters studied (Table 1). We used ANOVA to compare the means of the treatment groups, and unpaired t-test to compare means of any two treatments. The purpose of the later analysis was to determine the limit of deficit irrigation at which the detrimental effects of water shortage began to impact growth and development of the crop.

Table 1. Summary of parameter values due to deficit irrigation.

Treatment (% water)	RGR (cm day^-1)	LA (cm²)	FB (g)	DB (g)	NFB (No.)	NF (No.)	CC (SPAD)	SC (mmol/m²s)
25	0.07 ^b	315.16 ^c	5.78^b	0.32^a	0.00^*	0.00^*	32.07^b	189.91^c
50	0.17 ^a	336.44 ^b	7.50^a	0.35^a	0.80^*	0.00^*	26.42^a	250.73^b
75	0.12 ^a	347.91 ^b	7.88^a	0.41^a	2.80^*	0.00^*	23.73^a	282.81^a
100	0.20 ^a	369.67 ^a	8.66^a	0.52^a	10.60^*	0.40^*	23.17 ^a	340.34^a

Means with the same letter superscripts are not statistically significantly different.

^*Irrigation treatment effect was severe on flower bud initiation that it was needless continuing the study on the effects of deficit irrigation on flowering and fruiting of Roma tomato.

3.1. Relative Growth Rate of Roma Tomato

The ANOVA results indicate that freshwater irrigation at 100%. 75%. 50%, and 25% has significant effect on the growth rate of Roma tomato (P = 0.0259). The unpaired t-test analysis indicates that difference exists between the 100%, 75%, and 50% on one hand compared to the 25% irrigation on the other (P = 0.0095, P = 0.0074, and P = 0.0037 respectively). However, no significant difference in growth rate exists between the 100%, 75%, and 50% irrigation treatments. Detailed discussion about the results of this study will be in the discussion section but it is important to point out here that plant height growth is statistically similar up to 50% reduction in irrigation water. Figure 1 shows the growth rate of Roma tomato due to the different water irrigation levels.

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Figure 1. Daily growth rate of Roma tomato at different freshwater irrigation levels. Each point on the graph is the average of 50 measurements.

3.2. Leaf Area

The ANOVA analysis indicates a significant difference between means of the treatments (P < 0.0001). This result is supported by the unpaired t-test analysis except for the 75% and 50% treatments (P = 0.0921). These results indicate a loss of leaf area due to reduced water irrigation, an indication that leaf area decreases with increasing reduction of evapotranspiration needs of the crop (Figure 2), and reduction in irrigation water up to 50% has a similar effect as 75% reduction (Table 1).

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Figure 2. Leaf area of Roma tomato showing a reduction in leaf growth with increasing water deficit. Each point on the graph is the average of 50 measurements.

3.3. Biomass Accumulation

Fresh biomass accumulation due to the treatments is significantly different (P = 0.0227). However, this difference disappears when the treatments are compared one-on-one except at the 25% deficit irrigation, indicating that the source of the difference picked up in the ANOVA analysis (Table 1) came from the most severe irrigation deficit. The ANOVA and unpaired t-test analyses of air-dried vegetative biomass indicate no significant difference in dry biomass of deficit irrigated Roma tomato. This result indicates higher biomass moisture with increasing irrigation water and consequently more water loss in drying by the 100%, 75% and 50% irrigation treatments compared to the 25% deficit irrigation (Table 1).

3.4. Flower and Flower Bud

The irrigation treatment effects on flower bud initiation and flowering were severe that there was no information to continue with deficit irrigation studies on flower bud initiation, flowering and fruiting of the crop. This information led to the two-tier effect of irrigation water reduction on the growth and development of Roma tomato crop (see discussion).

3.5. Chlorophyll Content (CC)

ANOVA analysis shows that deficit irrigation has a reverse and highly significant effect on chlorophyll content of Roma tomato (P = 0.0002). While the unpaired t-test analysis shows no difference between 100%, 75% and 50% treatments, CC of the crop increases significantly with increase in irrigation shortage at 25% treatment (Table 1). There seems to be a negative relationship between irrigation water and CC in Roma tomato such that increased irrigation water results to decreasing CC in the crop (Figure 3).

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Figure 3. Negative relationship between irrigation water and CC in Roma tomato. Each point on the graph is the average of 50 measurements.

3.6. Stomatal Conductance (SC)

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Figure 4. Stomatal conductance of deficit irrigated Roma tomato. Each point on the graph is the average of 50 measurements.

ANOVA analysis indicates a significant difference between SC due to deficit irrigation treatment (P < 0.0001). However, the unpaired t-test analysis shows that the differences are due to the 50% and 25% treatments (Table 1). No significant difference exists between the 100% and 75% treatments so stomatal activity increases with increase in irrigation water availability (Figure 4).

4. Discussion

Deficit irrigation is an important freshwater conservation technique in agriculture for long term sustainability of this important natural resource. The practice is even more important in arid and semi-arid agriculture in which water sources are restrained

[5]

. Mild water stress is thought to improve the flavor and nutritional content of tomato by concentrating sugars as well as other beneficial compounds in the fruit, although some studies indicate it can also weaken the crop and cause undesirable effects like tough fruit skin and reduced juiciness, which may negatively impact consumer preference

[16]

. Water stress can cause changes in plant anatomical development and this in turn affects the physiological processes which manifest in the overall growth and development of the plant species.

Deficit irrigation seems to have a two-tier effect on Roma tomato crop. Results of this study indicate an overall non-serious detrimental effect due to deficit irrigation up to 50% water reduction during the vegetative growth phase. The crop showed no loss in RGR, FB, DB, and CC even when water was reduced to 50% evapotranspiration requirement of the crop. This is an indication of significant freshwater conservation at the vegetative growth phase of the crop. It further shows that the crop can be grown at 50% of its optimum water use without comprising any vegetative growth and development.

Loss of stomatal activity at 25% and 50% irrigation compared to those at 100% and 75% is an indication that Roma tomato is an isohydric crop. The loss in stomatal activity at these irrigation levels may be due to an effort by the crop to maintain a stable leaf water potential

Plants have adaptive mechanisms to tolerate stress conditions including increased root-proliferation, osmotic adjustments and enhanced water-use efficiency

[17]

. The physiological response of plants to water stress varies. Some studies suggest that mild deficit irrigation can stimulate root growth which enhances the plant's ability to absorb moisture from deeper soil layers

[18]

. This adaptation is crucial for sustained growth and fruit production under limited water conditions. Atilgan and Van

[6, 13]

suggested that deficit irrigation during the flowering and fruiting stages should be watched carefully to prevent poor fruit set and avoid yield reduction. Our study shows that deficit irrigation as a technique to supply the evapotranspiration water requirement of Roma tomato should be restricted to the vegetative growth phase of the crop only. In fact, based on our observations, up to 50% of the evapotranspiration requirement of the crop can be adopted at the vegetative growth phase to conserve freshwater, but full evapotranspiration water requirement must be returned at the inception of flower bud initiation. We do not even recommend 75% of the optimum evapotranspiration water needs of the crop at this growth stage.

Deficit irrigation as a water conservation strategy in agriculture is not recommended for all environments because its successful implementation depends on a myriad of extraneous conditions. Climatic and edaphic conditions, and crop factor (variety) are some of the conditions that must be well understood for a successful deficit irrigation program. These environmental and crop factor effects create the difficulty to widely adopt any successful DI program even for different crop varieties of the same species. Location and crop variety knowledge are required for a successful deficit irrigation program. Despite these conditions, DI remains one of the major freshwater conservation strategies especially when the competition for freshwater between crop production and human population is increasing by the day.

5. Conclusion

Considering the findings of this study, we conclude that deficit irrigation is feasible in Roma tomato production without compromise in yield. Deficit irrigation has a two-tier effect on Roma tomato crop variety and based on the results of the study, we recommend adoption of DI up to 50% of the evapotranspiration requirement of the crop at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to full evapotranspiration requirement of the crop at the onset of flower bud initiation. We do not recommend even a 75% deficit irrigation at onset of flower bud initiation through crop harvest.

Abbreviations

DI	Deficit Irrigation
RGR	Relative Growth Rate
LA	Leaf Area
FB	Fresh Biomass
DB	Dry Biomass
NFB	Number of Flower Buds
NF	Number of Flowers
CC	Chlorophyll Content
SC	Stomatal Conductance

Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by the Welhausen Family Student Scholarship fund, and the NSF-CREST Sustainable Water Use grant, Award No. 1914745. One of us, Ms. Niharika Gadde, acknowledges her friends for their help in greenhouse work and data collection.

Author Contributions

Niharika Gadde: Data curation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing - original draft

Ambrose Anoruo: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing

Benjamin Turner: Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing

Paul Holland: Supervision, Writing - review & editing

Shad Nelson: Funding acquisition, Resources, Writing - review & editing

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Gadde, N., Anoruo, A., Tuner, B., Holland, P., Nelson, S. (2025). Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 11(4), 120-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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Gadde, N.; Anoruo, A.; Tuner, B.; Holland, P.; Nelson, S. Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2025, 11(4), 120-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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Gadde N, Anoruo A, Tuner B, Holland P, Nelson S. Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2025;11(4):120-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12,
  author = {Niharika Gadde and Ambrose Anoruo and Benjamin Tuner and Paul Holland and Shad Nelson},
  title = {Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation
},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {120-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  abstract = {A greenhouse study of deficit irrigation was conducted to understand the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement that limits growth and development of Roma tomato. Seedlings of the crop were germinated and transplanted into 20 cm diameter pots in a mixture of 2: 1 topsoil and perlite. The 200 seedlings were arranged in a randomized complete block replicated five times such that each block contained 40 seedlings. Deficit irrigation treatments included 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the amount of control freshwater. Crop growth and development parameters studied include relative growth rate, fresh and dry vegetative biomass accumulation, chlorophyll content, leaf area, stomatal conductance, and number of flower buds and flowers as a consequence of deficit irrigation. Results of the study indicate a two-tier effect of deficit irrigation on the crop with no growth loss at the vegetative growth phase even at 50% irrigation, but a significant reduction in flower bud initiation and flowering even at the 75% irrigation. Based on these results, it is recommended that deficit irrigation up to 50% of optimum evapotranspiration requirement of Roma tomato be adopted as a water conservation strategy at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to the full evapotranspiration water requirement at the onset of flower bud initiation.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation

AU  - Niharika Gadde
AU  - Ambrose Anoruo
AU  - Benjamin Tuner
AU  - Paul Holland
AU  - Shad Nelson
Y1  - 2025/07/21
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
T2  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
SP  - 120
EP  - 125
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-7885
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
AB  - A greenhouse study of deficit irrigation was conducted to understand the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement that limits growth and development of Roma tomato. Seedlings of the crop were germinated and transplanted into 20 cm diameter pots in a mixture of 2: 1 topsoil and perlite. The 200 seedlings were arranged in a randomized complete block replicated five times such that each block contained 40 seedlings. Deficit irrigation treatments included 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the amount of control freshwater. Crop growth and development parameters studied include relative growth rate, fresh and dry vegetative biomass accumulation, chlorophyll content, leaf area, stomatal conductance, and number of flower buds and flowers as a consequence of deficit irrigation. Results of the study indicate a two-tier effect of deficit irrigation on the crop with no growth loss at the vegetative growth phase even at 50% irrigation, but a significant reduction in flower bud initiation and flowering even at the 75% irrigation. Based on these results, it is recommended that deficit irrigation up to 50% of optimum evapotranspiration requirement of Roma tomato be adopted as a water conservation strategy at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to the full evapotranspiration water requirement at the onset of flower bud initiation.
VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Niharika Gadde

Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness & Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, USA

http://orcid.org/0009-0005-1843-4426
Ambrose Anoruo

Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness & Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, USA

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1501-0412
Benjamin Tuner

Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness & Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, USA

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1312-2421
Paul Holland

Department of Animal Science & Veterinary Technology, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, USA

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4814-8376
Shad Nelson

Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, USA

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9059-9648

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Table 1

Table 1. Summary of parameter values due to deficit irrigation.

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APA Style

Gadde, N., Anoruo, A., Tuner, B., Holland, P., Nelson, S. (2025). Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences, 11(4), 120-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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ACS Style

Gadde, N.; Anoruo, A.; Tuner, B.; Holland, P.; Nelson, S. Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. Int. J. Appl. Agric. Sci. 2025, 11(4), 120-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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AMA Style

Gadde N, Anoruo A, Tuner B, Holland P, Nelson S. Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2025;11(4):120-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12,
  author = {Niharika Gadde and Ambrose Anoruo and Benjamin Tuner and Paul Holland and Shad Nelson},
  title = {Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation
},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {120-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaas.20251104.12},
  abstract = {A greenhouse study of deficit irrigation was conducted to understand the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement that limits growth and development of Roma tomato. Seedlings of the crop were germinated and transplanted into 20 cm diameter pots in a mixture of 2: 1 topsoil and perlite. The 200 seedlings were arranged in a randomized complete block replicated five times such that each block contained 40 seedlings. Deficit irrigation treatments included 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the amount of control freshwater. Crop growth and development parameters studied include relative growth rate, fresh and dry vegetative biomass accumulation, chlorophyll content, leaf area, stomatal conductance, and number of flower buds and flowers as a consequence of deficit irrigation. Results of the study indicate a two-tier effect of deficit irrigation on the crop with no growth loss at the vegetative growth phase even at 50% irrigation, but a significant reduction in flower bud initiation and flowering even at the 75% irrigation. Based on these results, it is recommended that deficit irrigation up to 50% of optimum evapotranspiration requirement of Roma tomato be adopted as a water conservation strategy at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to the full evapotranspiration water requirement at the onset of flower bud initiation.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Using Roma Tomato to Study the Limits of Deficit Irrigation

AU  - Niharika Gadde
AU  - Ambrose Anoruo
AU  - Benjamin Tuner
AU  - Paul Holland
AU  - Shad Nelson
Y1  - 2025/07/21
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
T2  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences
SP  - 120
EP  - 125
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-7885
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaas.20251104.12
AB  - A greenhouse study of deficit irrigation was conducted to understand the fraction of optimum evapotranspiration water requirement that limits growth and development of Roma tomato. Seedlings of the crop were germinated and transplanted into 20 cm diameter pots in a mixture of 2: 1 topsoil and perlite. The 200 seedlings were arranged in a randomized complete block replicated five times such that each block contained 40 seedlings. Deficit irrigation treatments included 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the amount of control freshwater. Crop growth and development parameters studied include relative growth rate, fresh and dry vegetative biomass accumulation, chlorophyll content, leaf area, stomatal conductance, and number of flower buds and flowers as a consequence of deficit irrigation. Results of the study indicate a two-tier effect of deficit irrigation on the crop with no growth loss at the vegetative growth phase even at 50% irrigation, but a significant reduction in flower bud initiation and flowering even at the 75% irrigation. Based on these results, it is recommended that deficit irrigation up to 50% of optimum evapotranspiration requirement of Roma tomato be adopted as a water conservation strategy at the vegetative growth phase, and a return to the full evapotranspiration water requirement at the onset of flower bud initiation.
VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

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