Summary
This greenhouse experiment examined three drip irrigation regimes (I₀ baseline, I₂₅ and I₅₀ with 25% and 50% greater volumes) applied to tomatoes grown in perlite medium. Whilst plant height and leaf dimensions were lowest under the restricted I₀ treatment, fruit quality metrics (soluble solids, acidity, dry matter) were highest with restricted irrigation, whereas I₂₅ treatment optimised total yield and large-fruit production with good water use efficiency. The findings suggest a moderate irrigation volume (I₂₅) represents the best compromise between crop productivity, water stewardship and fruit quality in soilless greenhouse systems.
Regional applicability
This research is directly applicable to UK greenhouse horticulture, particularly commercial protected cropping systems using soilless media and drip irrigation. The findings on optimising irrigation volume while maintaining yield and quality are relevant to UK growers seeking to improve water efficiency and reduce environmental impact in intensive greenhouse tomato production, where perlite and soilless systems are increasingly used.
Key measures
Plant height, leaf length and width, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, dry matter, water content, fruit number and size distribution (>180 g threshold), average fruit weight, total yield, water consumption, water use efficiency, principal component analysis of fruit quality parameters
Outcomes reported
The study measured plant growth characteristics (height, leaf dimensions), fruit yield and quality (soluble solids, acidity, dry matter, water content), fruit size distribution, and water use efficiency across three irrigation volume treatments. Optimal irrigation volume was identified based on trade-offs between growth, yield, fruit quality and water efficiency.
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