| Year : |
2025 |
| Volume : |
71 |
| Issue : |
4 |
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| Authors : |
Ordan CUKALIEV, Francis KUMI, Vjekoslav TANSKOVIK, Wisdom Eyram Kwame AGBESI, Sai Trinath SURYADEVARA, Svetoslav MALCHEV, Jan SIERING, Hossein AZADI,Stojanche NECHKOVSKI, Zvezda BOGEVSKA, Margarita DAVITKOVSKA |
| Title : |
FIELD EVALUATION OF TOMATO CROP PRODUCTION UNDER SLECI IRRIGATION |
| Abstract : |
Ghana’s diverse agroecological zones support a wide range of crops, with tomato ranking among the most cultivated vegetables due to market demand and quick sell. However, during cultivation, tomato has high water consumption and this sometimes poses a challenge in the face of erratic rainfall patterns and climate change. The daily water needs of a single tomato plant can range up to 6 litres during dry and hot days. Therefore, methods and techniques that can improve water use efficiencies are very important for their production. This study, conducted by the University of Cape Coast under the EU-funded DIVAGRI project, evaluated the performance of self-regulating, low-energy, clay-based irrigation (SLECI) compared to conventional surface drip irrigation (CSDI) for tomato cultivation. The obtained results show that SLECI treatment delivered 78% more tomato yield in comparison with CSDI. SLECI recorded 285.12 m3/ha water applied during the season and 4.5 kilograms of fresh tomato yield with each m3 of used water. Furthermore, results showed close values in leaf length, plant height, leaf width, and stem diameter for tomato plants irrigated using both SLECI and CSDI for the duration of 14 to 42 days after transplanting. Finally, the results obtained in this study will be useful for all interested parties from the agricultural sector in Ghana and beyond. |
| For citation : |
Cukaliev, O., Kumi, F., Tanskovik, V., Agbesi, W.E.K., Suryadevara, S.T., Malchev, S., Siering, J., Azadi, H., Nechkovski, S., Bogevska, Z., Davitkovska, M. (2025). Field evaluation of tomato crop production under SLECI irrigation. Agriculture and Forestry, 71 (4): 145-161. https://doi:10.17707/AgricultForest.71.4.09 |
| Keywords : |
clay emitters, low-energy irrigation, surface drip irrigation, tomato yield response, water productivity |
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