Fresh Market Tomato Yield and Soil Nitrogen as Affected by Tillage, Cover Cropping, and Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

<jats:p>Sustainable practices are needed in vegetable production to maintain yield and to reduce the potential for soil erosion and N leaching. We examined the effects of tillage [no-till (NT), chisel plowing (CP), and moldboard plowing (MP)], cover cropping [hairy vetch (<jats:italic>Vicia villosa</jats:italic> Roth) vs. winter weeds], N fertilization (0, 90, and 180 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N), and date of sampling on tomato (<jats:italic>Lycopersicon esculentum</jats:italic> Mill.) yield, N uptake, and soil inorganic N in a Norfolk sandy loam in Fort Valley, Ga. for 2 years. Yield was greater with CP and MP than with NT in 1996 and was greater with 90 and 180 than with 0 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N in 1996 and 1997. Similarly, aboveground tomato biomass (dry weight of stems + leaves + fruits) and N uptake were greater with CP and MP than with NT from 40 to 118 days after transplanting (DAT) in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 82 DAT in 1997; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N at 97 DAT in 1996 and at 82 DAT in 1997. Soil inorganic N was greater with NT or CP than with MP at 0- to 10-cm depth at 0 and 30 DAT in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 0- to 10-cm and at 10- to 30-cm at 0 DAT in 1996 and 1997, respectively; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N from 30 to 116 DAT in 1996 and 1997. Levels of soil inorganic N and tomato N uptake indicated that N release from cover crop residues was synchronized with N need by tomato, and that N fertilization should be done within 8 weeks of transplanting. Similar tomato yield, biomass, and N uptake with CP vs. MP and with 90 vs. 180 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N suggests that minimum tillage, such as CP, and 90 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N can better sustain tomato yield and reduce potentials for soil erosion and N leaching than can conventional tillage, such as MP, and 180 kg·ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> N, respectively. Because of increased vegetative cover in the winter, followed by increased mulch and soil N in the summer, hairy vetch can reduce the potential for soil erosion and the amount of N fertilization required for tomato better than can winter weeds.</jats:p>

Rolled Winter Rye and Hairy Vetch Cover Crops Lower Weed Density but Reduce Vegetable Yields in No-tillage Organic Production

“…The winter rye and mixture, and to a lesser extent hairy vetch, were effective at reducing annual weed density throughout the growing season and retaining soil moisture during times of low rainfall compared to bare soil; however, marketable and total yield of tomato and zucchini were consistently lowered in all environments and study years compared to the nocover control. Marketable vegetable yield losses from utilizing winter annual cover crops were similar to other research investigating summer squash (Walters and Young, 2008), bell pepper (Díaz-Pérez et al, 2008), and tomatoes (Roberts and Cartwright, 1991;Price and Baughan, 1985;Jelonkiewicz and Borowy, 2000;Wahle and Masiunas, 2002;Yaffa et al, 2000) planted into rye and/or hairy vetch. Cauliflower and bell pepper yield responses to winter cover crop mulch were variable by location and study year.…”

Methylene urea as a slow-release nitrogen source for processing tomatoes

“…The shallow rooting system of transplanted tomato plants (Lescovar and Cantliffe 1993) might have contributed to the more pronounced yield reductions because these plants were less capable of utilizing both soil and fertilizer N. Overall, the soil management system (fallow vs. cover crop) seemed to have a greater effect on the tomato yield production and N economy than the fertilizer type; winter cover crop increased tomato yield in both fertilizer treatments in both years (Table 1). The positive effect of cover crop on the growth and yield of processing tomato has been previously demonstrated by Yaffa et al (2000) who showed that N release from a low-C:N cover crop residue was synchronized with tomato N uptake. However, based on our study, winter cover crop may also delay the N availability leading to an increase in the amount of green tomatoes at the harvest.…”

Population Density and Nitrogen Fertility Effects on Tomato Growth and Yield

“…Similar yields (1999) on the plots with no N and no N with sawdust indicates that at least in some years the Flanagan silt-loam soil used in the present study could release adequate levels of mineralized N to provide exceptional tomato yields. Yaffa et al (2000) found that N release from cover crop residues was synchronized with the N need of tomato during its early growth. These differences between years were most likely due to differences in the two sections of the fi eld we used and to environmental differences.…”