Response of Three Dry Season Varieties of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) from Northern Nigeria to Different Watering Regimes

Abstract

The production of commercial tomato is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors such as soil, climate and water. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of different watering regimes on the physiology of three varieties of dry season tomatoes cultivated in northern Nigeria: The Gboko variety cultivated in Benue state, the Pankshin variety cultivated in Plateau state and the Zaria variety cultivated in Kaduna state. The varieties were planted on the same day in a Randomized Complete Block Design, with three varieties and five watering treatments in intervals of: one, two, four, six and eight days respectively. Analysis of variance of the physiological parameters used - leaf area and plant height of the different watering regimes indicate that they varied significantly (p>0.05) for Zaria, but not for Gboko and Pankshin. Zaria was the poorest with every eight day watering regime, whereas Gboko and Pankshin tolerated better a wide range of watering régime.

Keywords: Watering regime, Tomato, variety, climate

DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/84-02