tailieunhanh - Effect of irrigation on processing tomato yield and antioxidant components

A 2-year (2007 and 2008) open-field experiment was conducted to study the effects of irrigation on the yield parameters and main antioxidant components (lycopene, phenolic compounds, and ascorbic acid) of processing tomato. | Research Article Turk J Agric For 36 (2012) 702-709 © TÜBİTAK doi: Effect of irrigation on processing tomato yield and antioxidant components Lajos HELYES1, Andrea LUGASI2, Zoltán PÉK1,* 1 Institute of Horticultural Technology, Szent István University, Páter K. út 1., H-2103 Gödöllő – HUNGARY 2 National Institute for Food and Nutrition Science, Gyáli út 3/a, H-1097 Budapest – HUNGARY Received: ● Accepted: Abstract: A 2-year (2007 and 2008) open-field experiment was conducted to study the effects of irrigation on the yield parameters and main antioxidant components (lycopene, phenolic compounds, and ascorbic acid) of processing tomato. Two different treatments were applied: some plants were regularly irrigated, and some had their irrigation cut off 30 days before harvest. Both groups were compared with a rainfed control. Daily irrigation volume was calculated from the average daily temperature to reach optimum water supply. Fruits were harvested at the red-ripe maturity stage. The irrigated plants gave a significantly higher yield, and rainfed plants showed a yield loss. Irrigation had a greater effect on the average fruit weight than on fruit number. A seasonal effect was also remarkable, but was not as strong as that of irrigation. A better water supply caused a lower Brix number than that of the rainfed control. In both years, the antioxidant concentrations in tomato fruit showed a decrease with irrigation, except for the ascorbic acid content. Key words: Antioxidant content, Brix, irrigation, tomato, yield Introduction Nowadays, tomato is cultivated all over the world and is one of the most widely consumed produce items. Tomatoes are a significant food crop with more than × 106 t harvested in the world in 2009 (FAO 2011), and they are characterized by high consumption, year-round availability, and significant health benefits. Health qualities of the processing tomato fruit are determined by the interactions