Effects of irrigation and nitrogen coupling on growth,yield and quality of cherry tomato under greenhouse cultivation during the whole growth period
In order to reveal the comprehensive influence of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization coupling on the growth,yield and quality of cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse,and to provide scientific basis for irrigation and nitrogen management of cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse,four irrigation treatments were set up to maintain different soil water content in five growth stages(such as slow seedling stage,development stage,flowering stage,early bearing stage and late bearing stage)as follows:W1(80%-80%-80%-80%-80%),W2(70%-70%-60%-70%-80%),W3(60%-60%-60%-70%-70%),and W4(45%-50%-60%-60%-70%)(at the same time,three nitrogen fertilizer levels were applied at N1(300 kg/hm2),N2(240 kg/hm2),and N3(180 kg/hm2),respectively,to observe the effects of different water and nitrogen coupling on cherry tomato.The experiment results showed that different irrigation and nitrogen application treatments had significant effects on tomato yield and quality,with irrigation having a greater impact than nitrogen fertilizer application.Appropriate deficit irrigation could improve tomato quality without significantly reducing tomato yield.The results of structural equation model simulation analysis showed that the total irrigation was highly significantly positively correlated with plant height,stem diameter and yield of cherry tomato(P<0.001),nitrogen application was significantly negatively correlated with stem diameter(P<0.05),significantly positively correlated with sweetness and highly significantly positively correlated with yield of cherry tomato.An irrigation-nitrogen coupling model was established based on the results of the present study,aiming at the yield and quality of cherry tomato.The model shows that the cherry tomato yield will reach maximum(2.77 kg/plant),when total irrigation reaches 69.08 L and nitrogen fertilizer application reaches 300 kg/hm2.The Brix of cherry tomato will reach maximum(7.67),when total irrigation reaches 41.08 L and nitrogen fertilizer application reaches 225 kg/hm2.The model of the present study can offer a scientific irrigation-nitrogen recipe,and provide data support for future fertigation application to cherry tomato management under greenhouse cultivation.
cherry tomatoirrigation and nitrogen couplinggreenhouse cultivationphotosynthesisstructural equation model