Effect of environmental parameters on biometric characteristics of tomato with and without mulching in shadenet house

Abstract

A Field experiment was conducted on tomato under silver polyethylene mulch and without mulch in different colour shadenet House and in open field at Instructional Farm of Farm Structures Department, Dr. PDKV, Akola, during rabi season. The experimental site was fairly uniform and flattaned. The field is subdivided into three plots of 48 m2 (8 m x 6 m) and the two shadenet house has been constructed and one as open field for treatment. Two shadenet houses are of different colours namely Green shadenet house, White shadenet house and Open field. The white shadenet house with mulching found more suitable to obtain significantly maximum growth of tomato as compared to the green shadenet house and open field in both with mulching and without mulching. The average temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, carbon dioxide, soil temperature with mulching and soil temperature without mulching was observed as 28.66 °C, 47.13%, 361.33 lx, 576.50, 25.34 °C and 24.28 °C ppm respectively were found in white shadenet house. Also the growth parameters viz., plant height (130.50 cm), number of primary branches plant-I (27.41), canopy area (2900.50 cm2) and stem diameter (1.85 cm) were significantly increased under white shadenet house with mulching at last picking. Also in without mulch condition, white shadenet house found more suitable to obtain significantly maximum growth of tomato as compared to the green shadenet house and open field in both with mulching and without mulching. Also the growth parameters viz., plant height (112.91 cm), number of primary branches plant-I (23.91), canopy area (2863.41 cm2) and stem diameter (1.73 cm) were significantly increased under white shadenet house with mulching at last picking.