Effect of different colour shadenet house and mulching on cultivation of tomato

Abstract

A field trial on tomato cultivation using silver polyethylene mulch and without mulch was carried out in various colored shadenet houses and in an open field at the Instructional Farm of the Department of Farm Structures, Dr. PDKV, Akola, during the rabi season. The experimental area was relatively uniform and level. To conduct the experiment, the field was divided into three plots measuring 48 m² (8m x 6m), with two shadenet houses constructed alongside an open field for treatment purposes. The two types of shadenet houses such as a Green shadenet house,White shadenet house, and open field. The results showed that the white shadenet house with mulching proved to be more effective in achieving significantly higher tomato yields in comparison to the green shadenet house and the open field, regardless of the mulching. The Number of fruits per plant (62.99), Weight (kg) of fruit per plant (4.02), Weight (kg) of fruit per plot (112.27), Weight (g) of individual of fruits (70.54) and length (cm) of individual of fruit (5.22), were significantly increased under white shadenet house with mulching at last picking. Also the yield parameters viz., Number of fruits per plant (58.41), Weight (kg) of fruit per plant (3.76), Weight (kg) of fruit per plot (101.86), Weight (g) individual of fruits (63.06) and length (cm)of individual of fruit (4.65), were significantly increased under white shadenet house without mulching at last picking.