Effect of Different Levels of Saline Water on Tomato Production Under Saline Soil Condition

Abstract

In 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 a research was conducted in Al-Mafraq city, Jordan. The study design used was the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The main treatments that were used in the farm were different amounts of irrigation by 50%, 75%, 100% and 125%. Also, the flowering of both seasons used fresh water by 0.7ds/m, saline water by 5.5 ds/m and alternative fresh water. There are three sub-main water quality treatments.  By using these sub-main treatments, the research showed that there was an increase in tomato production every season due to the increase in the amount of irrigation. The products that could be marketed increased in a huge way, for instance in the first season, fresh treatment achieved 34.67 ton/ha in 2013/2014, and the alternate treatment achieved 31.96 ton/ha over the saline treatment by 22.99ton/ha for 125% of irrigation level. In this period, it was shown that there was a significant increase in the total soluble solids that improved saline treatment by 6.8% compared to fresh water treatment by 5.2% that was before 5.57%. In this season, due to the use of 60.13gm water treatment instead of 54.04 of saline treatment under 125% irrigation level, it led to a massive significant increase in the average fruit weight. In the second season, which occurred during the period of 2014/2015 where the prior treatment was 0.91ton/ha which improved realty to 1.47ton/ha while the treatment for saline used 10.66ton/ha for 125% of irrigation level. In this season however, the highest total soluble solids (TSS) value for the saline treatment was 7.24% with 50% of irrigation level, so, there was a decrease in soluble solids. In this second season of 2014/2015, the use of saline treatment was 33.24gm and fresh water treatment was 47.35% under 125% of irrigation level, which led to an increase in fruit weight transforming it from the average weight to higher weight by 50.55%gm.  It has been found that salinity of the surface layers decrease under the50% and 75% irrigation levels while the decrease in salinity for the other depths was related to the higher levels of applied water by 100% and 125%. Therefore, the salinity development in a soil varies in the amount of water irrigation.

Keywords: Saline water, Tomato, Saline soil, Irrigation, Al-Mafraq-Jordan.