Effects of Deficit Irrigation on the Growth and Yield of Tomato Irrigated with Magnetized Water

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of deficit irrigation on the vegetative growth and yield of tomato irrigated with magnetic water. Magnetic field was produced by the electromagnet. The value of magnetic flux density used for treating the irrigation water was 719G. The tomato (variety UC82B) was transplanted into 16 buckets 26 days after at nursery stage. The tomato plant was grown in a transparent garden shed for another 94 days and irrigated with magnetized water (magnetically treated water). A control experiment was also set up but irrigated with non – magnetized water. The treatments for this study were 100 %, 80 %, 60 % and 50% of water requirement (1.3 litres at 100%) by the tomato plant and the four treatments were labelled as T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄, respectively.  The heights of tomato plant with magnetized water after 50 days were 628.8, 630.0, 600.0, 562.6 mm, respectively and the yield after 130 days were 587.8, 441.9, 410.7 and 312.4 g, respectively. The heights of tomato plant with non – magnetized water were 601.3, 578.8, 557.5 and 447.5 mm, respectively and the yield for T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 439.9, 379.5, 374.6 and 236.6 g, respectively. The increment in yield with magnetized water varied from 9.64 to 33.62 % compared to the yield from non-magnetized water and the effect of magnetic water on tomato yield was statistically significant.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.73.1.14138