<div>Background: Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) is a staple fruit vegetable, one of the most important vegetables worldwide. There is high demand for tomato planting materials (seeds) in Nigeria.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Experiment was conducted at the Directorate of University Farms, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria (7&deg;, 25&#39;N, 3&deg;25&#39;E, 100 m above sea level) to examine growth, fruit characteristics as well as seed yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), cultivar Roma VF&nbsp;in response to fertilizer treatments. Fertilizer types used were, NPK 15:15:15 (300 kg/ha), Poultry manure (10 t/ha), combination of NPK 15:15:15 (150 kg/ha) + Poultry manure (5 t/ha) and a control. Treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replicates. Data were taken on number of leaves, plant height, leaf area, number of branches, number of flowers, number of fruits, fruit length, fruit width, fruit yield, unit fruit weight, number and weight of seeds per fruit. Fruit characteristics were correlated with seed yield to determine the relationship between them. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated with least significant difference (LSD 0.05).&nbsp; 
 
Result: Tomato fruits from plots that received a combination of NPK 15:15:15 (150 kg/ha) and Poultry manure had higher fruit yield (5 t/ha) and by inference higher number of seeds, compared with the control. Correlation of fruit weight with number of seeds showed that the higher the fruit weight, the higher the number of seeds per fruit. Fruit length had positive correlation with plant height and fruit diameter. Number of leaves determines fruit weight which invariably determines number and weight of seeds. High number of leaves resulted in low seed weight</div>

Growth, Fruit Characteristics and Seed Yield of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in Response to Fertilizer Application

<div style="text-align: justify;">The potential of co-products of shrimp shells on the germination parameters, growth, and for inducing defense reactions in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) was investigated in vitro and in vivo.It was found that chitosan at 50mg/l increased the germination percentage by 2.66%; the shrimp shells powder at 50mg/l was best in increasing the length of radical and length and weight of hypocotyl in vitro. In Vivo, chitosan at 50mg/l increased length, fresh/dry weight of aerial and radicle parts compared to control. An inhibition of FORL growth in vitro was obtained by addition of chitosan at 100mg/l. In addition, chitin at 25 mg/l decreased the foliar alteration index by 73.34% compared to control.</div>

Shrimp shells, Chitin and chitosan powders effect on growth of Lycopersicon esculentum and their ability to induce resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici attack

<div>Background: Chitin and chitosan are natural products extracted from shrimp shells. They are non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable which favors many applications in agricultural domain. Moreover, chitin and chitosan are known as stimulators of photosynthetic rates and enhance pants growth through minerals contains (C, O, N &hellip;.). 
In the present study, these co-products are evaluated for their ability to stimulate the germination and growth of Lycopersicon esculentum L., Capsicum annuum L. and Solanum melongena L.&nbsp; 
Methods: The experiments were conducted at Ibn Tofail University-Kenitra, between July 2016 to January 2018. The experiments are carried out by using a germination test for the three seeds. On the other hand, the in vivo test is used to determine the effect of the biopolymers on plant growth (length, fresh and dry weights of aerial and root parts, number and weight of the obtained fruits). 
Result: In vitro studies reveal a promoter action of chitosan and the mixture chitin-chitosan on increasing seed germination percentage by 16%, 34% and 22%. Thus, at both 25, 50 and 100 mg/l of chitin or chitosan, increase vigor index, shoot length and root is obtained. In vivo, the effect of chitin and chitosan is limited to stimulation of the lengths, fresh and dry weights of plants. However, a highly significant increase in the number and weight of the fruits is marked by the weekly soil amendment by the chitin-chitosan mixture at 25 mg/l and 100 mg/l.</div>

<div>The Amendment with Chitin and/or Chitosan Improves the Germination and Growth of Lycopersicon esculentum L., Capsicum annuum L. and Solanum melongena L.</div>

<div>Background: Papaya (Carica papaya) has a maximum loss of postharvest shelf life. Due to the higher respiration activity, these are prone to ripening within a short time frame; as a result, pathogens develop quickly and lead to enormous problems for papaya producers. Hence to minimize this postharvest loss and to preserve nutritional qualities, the present study was conducted to utilize papaya pulp to prepare a delicious papaya chutney with tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) because of its unique flavour.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: For chutney preparation, different combinations of papaya and tomato were used and their quality was analyzed based on biochemical (Total Soluble Solids, Titratable acidity, acid/Brix ratio, vitamin-C, total sugars, reducing sugars) and sensory attributes (colour, appearance, flavour, texture and consistency).&nbsp; 
 
Result:&nbsp;The treatment T7 (50% papaya: 50% tomato) was found to be the best combination in terms of biochemical and sensory quality parameters. Chutney was yet in acceptable conditions even after 90 days of preparation.</div>

Studies on the Development and Evaluation of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Blended Papaya (Carica papaya) Chutney

Background: Naturally occurring iodide iodine exhibits complex soil behavior. Even though higher plants don&rsquo;t consider iodine a vitamin, living things need it. Iodine is part of the thyroid hormone, which is vital to human health and metabolism. Potassium is the most effective cation for tomato plants and has a crucial role in improving several post-harvest quality characteristics in tomato fruits as well as in almost all vegetables. 
 
Methods: In the present work, we assessed the growth, yield and quality (Ascorbic acid, Titrable acidity and soluble solids) of tomatoesfrom different sources of chitosan and potassium iodate alone and combinations. The field experiment was carried out in the Thondamuthur block of Viraliyur village in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu in 2022. The experiments were performed in randomized block design with three replications in palaviduthi soil series using hybrid tomato &ldquo;Shivam&rdquo;. 
 
Result: The chitosan iodate complex and foliar application combination enhanced the growth, yield and quality of tomato. Potassium iodate alone applied to soil and foliar, improved fruit quality but did not prevent acid loss during ripening. Chitosan reduces respiration and oxygen permeability to preserve losses. Thus, potassium iodate chitosan complex was favoured for boosting plant growth, fruit yield and quality.

The Long-term Impact of Biofortified Iodine on Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Growth, Yield and Quality

<div>Background: The main challenge confronting both rainfed and irrigated agriculture is to improve water use efficiency (WUE) and sustainable water use for agriculture. A field experiment was conducted during early summer season of 2020 to study the effect of drip irrigation combined with organic mulching on soil moisture, growth, yield of tomato grown on alfisols at the college farm of College of Agricultural Engineering, Madakasira, Ananthapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The experiment was laid out in completely randomized block design (CRBD) with seven treatments comprising of various organic mulches. The treatments were T1 - Sawdust + Irrigation based on daily crop water requirement, T2 - Ragi straw + Irrigation based on daily crop water requirement, T3 - Groundnut shells + Irrigation based on daily crop water requirement, T4 - Groundnut shells + Irrigation once in every two days, T5 - Saw dust + Irrigation once in every two days, T6 - Ragi straw + Irrigation once in every two days and T7 - Control (without mulch) + Irrigation based on daily crop water requirement. All the treatments were replicated thrice. The plot size of each treatment was 4m &times; 2.5m.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results revealed that throughout the crop growth period, T3 - Groundnut shells + Irrigation based on daily water requirement maintained soil higher moisture content to an extent of 132-146% as compared to control T7 (Control + Daily water requirement). The fruit yield obtained with T3 - Groundnut shells + Irrigation based on daily water requirement was significantly higher (8.8 t/ha) as compared to control T7 (Control + Daily water requirement) (7.6 t/ha). The highest water use efficiency (39.6 kg/ha/mm) was noted with T4 - Groundnut shells + Irrigation once in every two days), whereas T7 (Control + Daily water requirement) registered minimum WUE (16.3 kg/ha/mm). Weed dry matter and weed index was found to be higher (50% to 100%) in T7 (Control + Daily water requirement) throughout the crop growth period as compared to all the treatments applied with organic mulches. Our results indicated that T3 - (Groundnut shells + Irrigation based on daily crop water requirement) resulted in the highest plant height, number of fruits per plant and high water use efficiency as compared to without mulching. Further, under irrigation water constraints, groundnut shells mulch and drip irrigation once in two days was found to be effective in attaining higher WUE.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

&nbsp;​Effect of Drip Irrigation Combined Organic Mulching on Water Productivity and Yield of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

<div>Background: Changes in the climate of the world coupled with the indiscriminate application of chemical fertilizers are causing great challenges in agricultural production systems. However, such problems could be tackled by using bio-stimulants leading to the advancement of sustainable production. Thus, the current study was conducted with the purpose of improving quality traits and fruiting potential of tomato plants using albitbr&nbsp;bio-stimulant. 
 
Methods: The study involved seven doses of the albitbr&nbsp;bio-stimulant (0.1 L ha-1, 0.5 L ha-1, 1 L ha-1, 2.5 L ha-1, 5 L ha-1, 10 L ha-1&nbsp;and 50 L ha-1) applied on four tomato cultivars (Malets, Revansh, Talisman and Fonaric) to be compared against the control (lone water). The field was designed in a randomized block design and each treatment was replicated three times. Two plants were randomly selected from each plot for data collection. 
 
Result: Results indicated that Fonaric cultivar produced the highest significant values of carotenoid pigments, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll. In addition to this, the highest significant values of number of fruiting trusses per plant and number of fruits per truss were obtained from Malets cultivar. Albitbr&nbsp;bio-stimulant application resulted into significant differences on most of the parameters. Albitbr&nbsp;applied at 5 L ha-1&nbsp;produced the highest significant values of total chlorophyll (1.966 mg g-1), chlorophyll b (0.759 mg g-1), number of fruits per truss (3.812) beta carotene (2.509 mg 100 g-1) whereas the highest levels of chlorophyll a (1.263 mg g-1) and lycopene (15.45 mg 100 g-1) were obtained from 2.5 L ha-1&nbsp;and 10 L ha-1&nbsp;respectively.</div>

Developmental and Quality Traits of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.) Cultivars as Affected by Albitbr Bio-stimulant

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of potassium humate and rice husk biochar on cherry tomatoes&rsquo; key soil chemical properties, yield and quality parameters.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The experiment was conducted in the Can Tho University Department of Soil Science&rsquo;s greenhouse. Experimental soil is alluvial soil collected in Tra On, Vinh Long. Two seasons (Summer-Autumn 2020 and Autumn-Winter 2020) were used for the experiment. The experiment design was completely randomized (CRD), with two factors: 9 treatments (corresponding to 9 fertilizer formulas), 4 replications and 4 plants each. Factor A (FA) is 3 levels of biochar rice husk application: 0 tons/ha (B0), 2.5 tons/ha (B1) and 5 tons/ha (B2). Factor B (FB) is 3 levels of potassium humate: 0 kg/ha (K0), 50 kg/ha (K1) and 100 kg/ha (K2). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Department of Soil Science, Can Tho University, using alluvial soil collected from Tra On, Vinh Long. The study spanned two growing seasons (Summer-Autumn 2020 and Autumn-Winter 2020). A completely randomized design (CRD) was employed with two factors and four replications. Factor A comprised three levels of rice husk biochar application: 0 tons/ha (B0), 2.5 tons/ha (B1) and 5 tons/ha (B2). Factor B consisted of three levels of potassium humate: 0 kg/ha (K0), 50 kg/ha (K1) and 100 kg/ha (K2), resulting in nine treatment combinations. Each replication contained four plants. 
 
Result: The experimental results showed that adding rice husk biochar and potassium humate improved soil P. Compared to the control (no biochar, no potassium humate), they significantly and statistically enhanced the amount of accessible nutrients (N, P and K) in the soil. The number of fruits/plants, fruit diameter, fruit yield, and percentage of Brix all significantly increased when cherry tomatoes were continuously monitored for growth, yield, and quality during both growing seasons while being treated with biochar husk and potassium humate. These results were statistically different from those of the control. The analysis of nitrate in tomato fruit showed that the nitrate of fruit was 23.45-24.94 (mg NO3-/kg fresh fruit), not exceeding the allowable threshold of 150 (mg NO3-/kg fresh fruit), and applying rice husk biochar and potassium humate significantly improved soil chemical properties compared to the control treatment. Notably, the soil&rsquo;s availability of essential nutrients (N, P and K) was enhanced. Treatments with biochar and potassium humate throughout both growing seasons resulted in statistically significant improvements in various plant parameters, including fruit number per plant, diameter, total yield, and Brix content compared to the control. Fruit nitrate content ranged from 23.45 to 24.94 mg NO3-/kg fresh weight, remaining well below the regulatory threshold of 150 mg NO3-/kg fresh weight.

Effect of Rice Husk Biochar and Potassium Humate on the Change of Soil Chemical Properties, Yield and Quality of Cherry Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

<div>Background: One of the most discussed topics in the modern era is environmental degradation. One of the primary effects of industrialization and urbanization is the overproduction of wastes in all forms, some of which are totally contaminated with heavy metals and dangerous chemicals. The accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soil, which may have some extremely negative impacts on the soil, plants and human beings, is one of the world&rsquo;s major challenges. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the buildup and distribution of heavy metals zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) and their impact on several physiological and growth parameters of the tomato plant (Lycopersicum esculentum). 
&nbsp; 
Methods: The tomato crop was cultivated in varying concentrations of Zn (50, 70 and 90 mg/kg soil) and Cu (40, 60 and 75 mg/kg soil) in relation to their root length, number of leaves and other fundamental growth and physiology. 
&nbsp; 
Result: It was observed that 0, 18, 36 and 54 days after sowing (DAS) monitored the adverse effect of metal on physiological parameters. The concentration of heavy metals in the shoots, leaves, fruits and roots of the plants was measured using the atomic absorption spectroscopy technique. The growth characteristics, chlorophyll contents and other physiological parameters of plants were found to be negatively impacted by a rise in the concentration of both heavy metals.</div>

Effect of Heavy Metals Zn and Cu on Growth Parameters of Lycopersicum esculentum

<div>Background: Tomato is commonly treated as &ldquo;Protective Food&rdquo; as it contain high amounts of several nutritive compounds especially carotenoids such as lycopene and &acirc; carotene (Provitamin A), flavonoids, phenolic acids and ascorbic acid and minerals like calcium, iron and phosphorus. Development of high yielding varieties, genetic improvement and best selection are the basic outcome of a superior breeding programme. Therefore, a study was conducted out to analyze the combining ability for yield and yield contributing traits of tomato genotypes.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: This study analyzed the general combing ability (GCA) and specific combing ability (SCA) of tomato (Lycopersicon esculantum Mill.) including different breeding lines and landraces, which were grown during three seasons (March 2020, September 2020 and March 2021) with row to row and plant to plant spacing of 60 &times; 45 cm in randomized block designs (RBD) having three replications at the Agriculture research farm of Choudhary Chhotu Ram (PG) College, Muzaffarnagar U.P., India. Morpho-metric data were recorded on five competitive randomly selected plants in each line for sixteen traits. 
 
Result: Number of fruit per plant and fruits yield was governed by non-additive gene action suggesting the advancement of the generation for selection to improve these traits. The parents floradade, arka meghali and EC-164563 were estimated to be best combiners for the inclusion in further breeding programs. The cross EC-620406 &times; EC-528360, a product of good combiners was best performing and can be used to obtain superior recombinants.</div>

Growth, Fruit Characteristics and Seed Yield of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in Response to Fertilizer Application

Shrimp shells, Chitin and chitosan powders effect on growth of Lycopersicon esculentum and their ability to induce resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici attack

The Amendment with Chitin and/or Chitosan Improves the Germination and Growth of Lycopersicon esculentum L., Capsicum annuum L. and Solanum melongena L.

Studies on the Development and Evaluation of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Blended Papaya (Carica papaya) Chutney

The Long-term Impact of Biofortified Iodine on Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Growth, Yield and Quality

Effect of Drip Irrigation Combined Organic Mulching on Water Productivity and Yield of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

Developmental and Quality Traits of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.) Cultivars as Affected by Albit^br Bio-stimulant

Effect of Rice Husk Biochar and Potassium Humate on the Change of Soil Chemical Properties, Yield and Quality of Cherry Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Effect of Heavy Metals Zn and Cu on Growth Parameters of Lycopersicum esculentum

Estimation of General and Specific Combining Abilities of Parents and Crosses in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculantum Mill.)