Agro-Economic Assessment of Added Fertilizers to Tomato Yield Grown at Fayoum Governorate, Egypt

El-Dissoky, R.; Sherif, A.; Mohamd, Eitemad

doi:10.21608/jssae.2018.36541

Agro-Economic Assessment of Added Fertilizers to Tomato Yield Grown at Fayoum Governorate, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Soils Fertility and Plant Nutrition Res. Dep.; Soils, Water and Environment Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center. Giza, Egypt

² Environment Res. Dep.; Soils, Water and Environment Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center. Giza, Egypt

³ Agricultural Economy Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center. Giza, Egypt

10.21608/jssae.2018.36541

Abstract

In the recent years the cultivated land of tomatoes and their production in Egypt have been diminished for some reasons; among them fertilization. The current study was performed to assess the effects of applied fertilizers to tomato grown at Fayoum Governorate Egypt (29° 18^' 30"N; 30° 50' 39"E) on yield, nutrients uptake, nitrate accumulation, soil fertility, and the relationships among them. Eighteen tomato fields were chosen at four villages in two districts at autumn season of 2016-2017. Representative samples of soil, plant and irrigation water were taken from every site to be analyzed. Furthermore, 120 questionnaires forms were collected from tomato farmers in the studied districts. Results indicated that soils under study were high in nitrogen and most of micronutrients, low in phosphorus and moderately to low in potassium. Irrigation water quality ranged from low to moderately. The total productivity of tomato ranged from 19.350 to 46.548 t. fed^-1 with an average of 31.096t., where the added fertilizers ranged from 147-259 kg N fed^-1, 22.5-75 kg P₂O₅ and 0-96 kg K₂O. Tomato yield significantly correlated with applied fertilizers of N, P and K, but insignificantly correlated with organic manure. The accumulation of nitrate in fruits significantly correlated with uptake of nitrogen, nevertheless the correlation between the applied of nitrogen and the uptake was insignificant. The obtained data of questionnaires forms cleared up that correlation between tomato productivity and the added nitrogen and organic manure was insignificant. Therefore, great attention should be paid to phosphorus and potassium fertilization without excessive addition of nitrogen.

Keywords