Effect of Water Stress in Increasing Water Use Efficiency on Tomato

Abstract

This study was carried out in 2016 in Abu Gharash orchards in agriculture faculty – Damascus University to estimate the response of tomato to the following three water treatments: Full irrigation (T1), 70% of the full irrigation (T2) and 60% of the full irrigation (T3). A complete randomized block design (RCBD) was applied, with three replicates.

Results showed that the treatment (T2) was superior with significant differences at the levels of 5% with 19.9% increasing in production of full irrigation treatment (T1). The treatment (T2) gave the highest water use efficiency 20.22 kg / m3 whereas it equaled to 16.86 kg/m³ in full irrigation treatment and to 13.92 kg/m³ in (T3) in which the production reduced by 17.46%. Yield response coefficient Ky showed that applying a water stress of 70% of irrigation amount is possible because it was less the (1) and equaled to 0.6. On the other hand, Ky with the treatment (T3) was more than (1) and equaled to 1.2 which made water stress in (T3) accompanied with significant decreasing in production.