Growth and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) as influenced by different soil organic amendments and types of cultivation

Tomato is one of the most profitable crops in the Philippines and is extensively cultivated throughout the world. However, its production faces different pest and disease problems, particularly bacterial wilt which greatly reduces yield. Two separate studies were conducted simultaneously in a single factor experiment arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three (3) replications. The studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of the different soil organic amendments on the growth and yield of tomato in the open field (Study I) and under protective structure (Study II) with the following treatments: control, cabbage waste, carbonized rice hull, chicken dung, hagonoy, wedelia, and wild sunflower. Protective structure grown plants had better protection against detrimental heavy rain and strong light intensity, thus had better performance in terms of lower bacterial wilt infection and weed incidence, higher percentage survival, enhanced flowering, and a higher yield than those grown in the open field. On the other hand, only the weight of marketable fruits and total yield were enhanced by the application of the different soil organic amendments. All amendments had similar effects but were superior than the control. Protected cultivation gave a higher net return than the open field. In particular, sunflower amended plants under structure were the most profitable, by almost 8 times compared to the open field.