Effect of shade on the growth and yield of tomato plants

Abstract

Tomato seedlings (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cv. Prigade were transplanted in July, 1994 in a well N fertilized soil which was fertiled with P and K. Shade screen was suspended at 1.5 m above the plants 10 days after transplanting to provide 30% shade. North and south sides were left open to provide good ventilation while the east and west sides were completely covered with the screens. Results showed that shade has a significant effect on main stem length and leaf area but not on leaf number or intercepted Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). Shade also reduced total dry matter production significantly. Air and leaf temperatures under shade conditions were lower than that of the open field during day time and average 2°C, while it was higher under shade conditions than that of the open field during the night. Data show that applying 30% shade to tomato plants didn't affect fruit yield under the experiment conditions. The results of this work and other works showed that shade didn't affect tomato fruit yield consistently and its use is not justified. Meanwhile, Shade can be used to improve fruit quality such as reducing sun burn.