Fruit yield and quality

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

3.3 Results

3.3.5 Fruit yield and quality

58

respectively. The leaf area of Bona was not significantly different from that of Star 9037.

Similarly, the leaf area of Star 9037 was not significantly different to those of Star 9009 and Zeal. There was also a significant (P<0.001) effect, due to the interaction of cultivar with growing period. The increase in leaf area of Bona was the fastest, followed by Star 9037, Star 9009 and lastly, Zeal. No significant (P>0.05) microclimate effects were observed.

As with leaf area, the cultivar and cultivar × growing period interaction had significant (P<0.001) influences on the vegetative biomass accumulated by the tomato plants, as shown in Figure 3.12. The vegetative dry matter of Bona was 48.0% higher than that of Zeal. The vegetative dry matter of Star 9037, Star 9009 and Bona did not differ significantly, although Bona dry matter was highest. Cultivar Star 9037 had the next highest vegetative biomass, followed by Star 9009 and lastly Zeal.

Figure 3.12 Vegetative biomass in the FPVT and the NVT, measured fortnightly between Weeks 2 and 10 after transplanting the seedlings. The prefixes F and N represent the FPVT and the NVT. B= cultivar Bona, 7 = cultivar Star 9037, 9=

cultivar Star 9009 and Z= cultivar Zeal.

59

tomatoes. Cultivar Bona total yield was the highest, with 4.09 kg.plant^-1, followed by Star 9037, with 3.30 kg.plant^-1, then Star 9009, with 3.24 kg.plant^-1, whereas Zeal had the lowest total yield, with 2.09 kg.plant^-1. Bona total yield was significantly higher (by 48.9%), when compared to Zeal‟s total yield, but did not vary significantly with Star 9009 and Star 9037. The microclimate × cultivar interaction significantly influenced the total yield (Table 3.2). Under FPVT conditions, Bona out-performed the other cultivars with 4.51 kg.plant^-1, when compared to 2.61 kg.plant^-1 for Star 9037, 2.49 kg.plant^-1 for Star 9009 and 1.39 kg.plant^-1 for Zeal. Bona total yield was also significantly higher (by 38.4%) than Zeal‟s total yield from the NVT.

There were no significant (P>0.05) differences in the total marketable yield of tomatoes harvested from the FPVT and the NVT. However, highly significant (P<0.001) differences were observed in the total marketable yield among the four cultivars. Both determinate cultivars Bona and Star 9037 showed significantly higher marketable yields than the determinate cultivar Zeal. However, the marketable yields of the indeterminate cultivars did not differ significantly from Star 9009 (also a determinate cultivar). The total marketable yield for Zeal was only 36.2% of the yield of Bona and 47% of that of Star 9037.

Highly significant (P<0.001) differences were observed between the ventilation types with regards to the total unmarketable yield. The total unmarketable yield from the FPVT was 15.4% of the total yield, compared to 29.9% of the total yield from the NVT. Similarly, cultivar differences, with respect to the total non-marketable yield, were significant (P<0.05).

Star 9009, which had the highest non-marketable yield of 0.94 kg.plant^-1, was significantly different from the unmarketable yield of Bona, but not those of Star 9009 and Zeal. However, Zeal had the highest percentage of unmarketable yield to total yield, with 39.4% of the total yield being unmarketable. It was followed by Star 9009, which had 28.9% of its total yield being unmarketable. These values compare to those of the indeterminate cultivars, Bona and Star 9037, the total unmarketable yields of which were 14.8% and 19.5% of the total yields, respectively. The effect of the microclimate × cultivar interaction also had a significant (P<0.05) influence on the total unmarketable yield. Under NVT conditions, the unmarketable yield for Star 9009 was significantly higher than that of the indeterminate cultivars (Bona and Star 9037), but not significantly different to that of the other determinate cultivar (Zeal). The unmarketable yield of Star 9009 was 1.41 kg.plant^-1, compared to Star 9037 and Zeal, of

60

which the unmarketable yields were 1.00 kg.plant^-1 and 0.77 kg.plant^-1. The non-marketable yields for Star 9037, Star 9009 and Zeal were significantly higher under the NVT microclimate, as opposed to the FPVT environment. In the FPVT, the unmarketable yield for Star 9037 was only 0.28 kg plant^-1, while under NVT conditions it was 1.00 kg.plant^-1. As for Star 9009, under the FPVT environmental conditions, the unmarketable yield was only a third of that from the NVT. With regards to Zeal, the non-marketable yield was 54% higher under NVT conditions.

Table 3.2 Yield and quality parameters for ventilation × cultivar interaction in the FPVT and the NVT.

Ventilation Cultivar TY US BER ID CR DF TUY TMY

kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 kg.p^-1 FPVT Bona 4.51^a 0.33^ab 0.02^b 0.01^d 0.04^b 0.05^b 0.44^de 4.07^a

Star 9037 2.61^bc 0.12^c 0.00^b 0.01^d 0.11^ab 0.04^b 0.28^e 2.33^b Star 9009 2.49^bc 0.12^c 0.10^b 0.01^d 0.10^ab 0.14^ab 0.47^de 2.02^bc Zeal 1.39^c 0.10^c 0.13^ab 0.04^d 0.14^ab 0.11^b 0.52^de 0.87^c NVT Bona 3.67^ab 0.50^a 0.01^b 0.13^cd 0.02^b 0.10^b 0.77^cd 2.90^ab

Star 9037 3.99^ab 0.41^a 0.06^b 0.34^b 0.15^ab 0.05^b 1.00^bc 2.99^ab Star 9009 4.00^ab 0.38^a 0.06^b 0.54^a 0.10^ab 0.32^a 1.41^a 2.59^b Zeal 2.78^bc 0.18^bc 0.24^a 0.26^bc 0.20^a 0.25^ab 1.13^ab 1.65^bc

LSD(p≤0.05) 1.369 0.190 0.127 0.153 0.127 0.18 0.318 1.288

Ventilation NS Sig NS Sig NS NS Sig NS

Cultivar Sig Sig Sig Sig Sig NS Sig Sig

Where TY= total yield; US = undersized; BER= blossom end-rot affected; ID = insect damaged; CR = cracked; TMY = total marketable yield; TUY= total unmarketable yield;

kg.p^-1= kg per plant; LSD = least significant difference. Mean values with the same superscripted letter are not significantly different (P>0.05) using Duncan Multiple Range Test. NS= no significant differences resulting from that treatment were observed; Sig=

Significant differences were observed

The total unmarketable yield was analysed in terms of the total mass of undersized, blossom end-rot, insect-damaged, deformed and cracked fruits. The mass of undersized fruits was significantly (P<0.001) higher in the NVT, than in the FPVT. In the NVT, 10.2% of the total yield was <50g, compared to 6.0% in the FPVT. The mass of undersized tomato fruits (<50 g)

61

was significantly (P<0.001) lower for Zeal (0.14kg.plant^-1), as opposed to Bona (0.42 kg.plant^-1) and Star 9037 (0.26 kg.plant^-1). The interaction between microclimate and cultivar also had a significant (P≤0.05) influence on the undersized fruit mass of the cultivars Star 9037 and Star 9009, but not on cultivars Bona and Zeal. Under NVT conditions, cultivar Star 9037 had 0.41 kg.plant^-1, compared to 0.12 kg.plant^-1 in the FPVT. Similarly, under the NVT microclimate, undersized fruit mass of Star 9009 was 0.38 kg.plant^-1, as opposed to 0.12 kg.plant^-1 in the FPVT.

Cultivar differences with respect to the occurrence of blossom end-rot were significant (P<0.01). The occurrence of blossom end-rot on the cultivar Zeal was significantly higher, when compared to the other cultivars. In this cultivar (Zeal), 8.8% of the fruits were affected by blossom end-rot, compared to <2% in the other three cultivars.

Yield losses resulting from insect pest attack in the NVT, were high and differed significantly (P<0.001) from those in the FPVT. Losses due to insect attack in the FPVT were 5% of those in the NVT, where insect attack accounted for 29.5% of the total unmarketable yield. Cultivar differences were also observed to be significant (P<0.01), with respect to yield losses from insect attack. The cultivar Star 9009 had a significantly higher fruit mass loss than Bona, but it was not significantly different from Star 9037 and Zeal. The fruit mass of Star 9009 that was unmarketable as a result of insect attack was 0.27 kg.plant^-1, compared to Bona 0.07 kg.plant^-1. Similarly, there was a significant ventilation × cultivar effect on the yield loss due to insect damage. Cultivars Star 9037, Star 9009 and Zeal, grown in the FPVT, had significantly lower insect-damaged yield masses, than plants of the same variety grown under NVT conditions. The percentage yield loss from these cultivars ranged between 1.7 to 14.7%

of those harvested from the NVT.

The occurrence of cracked fruits did not differ significantly (P>0.05) between the two ventilation types. Cracked fruits constituted 3.2% and 3.6% in the NVT and the FPVT, respectively. Similarly, the ventilation × cultivar interaction did not have a significant effect on the occurrence of cracked fruit. There was a significant (P≤0.05) cultivar effect on the occurrence of cracks on the tomato fruits. Significant differences were observed between Bona and Zeal, but both these cultivars were not significantly different to either Star 9037 or Star 9009. The cracked fruit mass of Bona was 16.1% that of Zeal. Yield losses resulting from

62

deformed fruits were not significantly (P>0.05) influenced by the effects of the microclimate and the interaction between microclimate and cultivar. The occurrence of deformed fruit was significantly influenced by cultivar differences. The deformed fruit mass for Star 9009 was significantly higher than that of Bona, but both these cultivars did not differ significantly from either Star 9037 or Zeal. The deformed yield of Bona was 32.6% that of Star 9009.