Impact of Irrigation with Saline Water on the Production of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under Soilless and Traditional Techniques

Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the response of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to saline water irrigation under soilless and traditional techniques. A special fertigation technique with two different salinity levels (1 dS m-1 and 4 dS m-1) of water was used under different soilless media, namely, perlite, gravel, and pozzolana as inert media, in addition to traditional techniques. Results showed that among the three soilless substrates, perlite medium produced the highest total yields with larger fruit sizes. Furthermore, the perlite medium enabled significant savings in water, compared to gravel (-15%) and pozzolana (-20%). Moreover, the results corroborated the existing knowledge on the tolerance of tomato to brackish water irrigation, since there was no significant difference in yield of plants grown in the soil irrigated with water with salinity levels of 1.1 dSm-1 and 4-5 dS m-1. Plant biometric data revealed a better and quicker development of plants grown in the soilless media compared to those grown in the soil, even in the case of freshwater irrigation.

Development of Smart Irrigation Equipment for Soilless Crops Based on the Current Most Representative Water-Demand Sensors

“…However, if saline water is to be used on a large scale for crop irrigation, it must be based on proper irrigation management, and this is much more complicated than that of freshwater [ 20 ]. Many of the problems in irrigated soil can be controlled in soilless crops, so there is considerable potential for employing saline water irrigation in soilless media, particularly for the production of vegetables [ 21 ]. Using saline water for irrigation involves a higher leaching fraction in soilless crops, which affects plant nutrition and physiology [ 22 ].…”

Novel Materials as Exogenous Carbon Sources for Denitrifying Biofilters

“…Tomato production in modern agriculture is dominated by soilless cultivation. Unfortunately, this type of crop generates huge amounts of wastewater with high concentrations of biogenic compounds, and therefore constitutes a significant source of pollution [2]. In most places, soilless cultivation is carried out in open irrigation systems, which means that wastewater is not recirculated [3] and is removed to the natural environment [4,5].…”