Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate
Drought risk is significantly increasing as a consequence of climate change, and the Mediterranean basin will be among the most affected areas by water scarcity in Europe. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/8/718 |
| _version_ | 1797432182479781888 |
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| author | Vito Aurelio Cerasola Lorenzo Perlotti Giuseppina Pennisi Francesco Orsini Giorgio Gianquinto |
| author_facet | Vito Aurelio Cerasola Lorenzo Perlotti Giuseppina Pennisi Francesco Orsini Giorgio Gianquinto |
| author_sort | Vito Aurelio Cerasola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drought risk is significantly increasing as a consequence of climate change, and the Mediterranean basin will be among the most affected areas by water scarcity in Europe. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are soil amendments capable to retain water and release it when drought occurs. In the present study, the ability of a commercial SAP to improve the drought tolerance of processing tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) was assessed on a commercial farm located in northern Italy. A strip plot experimental design was adopted, where three irrigation treatments (IRR<sub>100</sub>, IRR<sub>75</sub>, and IRR<sub>50</sub>, respectively, restituting 100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration) were combined with the application of the SAP (control vs. soil amended with SAP). No significant interaction was observed between irrigation treatments and SAP application in yield and quality traits. SAP application allowed for an average increase in tomato yield (+16.4%) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (+15.8%), determined by a higher number of marketable fruits. The irrigation strategy IRR<sub>75</sub> + SAP maintained the same yield and quality as the full irrigation control (IRR<sub>100</sub>), increasing the IWUE by about 37%. The experiment demonstrated that, for processing tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean, it is possible to reduce the water supply by 25% when SAP amendment is applied to the soil. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:56:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1c467cda28c43189e3d9ce106e85b0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:56:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1c467cda28c43189e3d9ce106e85b0e2023-12-01T23:46:04ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242022-08-018871810.3390/horticulturae8080718Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean ClimateVito Aurelio Cerasola0Lorenzo Perlotti1Giuseppina Pennisi2Francesco Orsini3Giorgio Gianquinto4Department of Agricultural and Food Science and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Science and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Science and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Science and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Science and Technologies (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDrought risk is significantly increasing as a consequence of climate change, and the Mediterranean basin will be among the most affected areas by water scarcity in Europe. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are soil amendments capable to retain water and release it when drought occurs. In the present study, the ability of a commercial SAP to improve the drought tolerance of processing tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) was assessed on a commercial farm located in northern Italy. A strip plot experimental design was adopted, where three irrigation treatments (IRR<sub>100</sub>, IRR<sub>75</sub>, and IRR<sub>50</sub>, respectively, restituting 100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration) were combined with the application of the SAP (control vs. soil amended with SAP). No significant interaction was observed between irrigation treatments and SAP application in yield and quality traits. SAP application allowed for an average increase in tomato yield (+16.4%) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) (+15.8%), determined by a higher number of marketable fruits. The irrigation strategy IRR<sub>75</sub> + SAP maintained the same yield and quality as the full irrigation control (IRR<sub>100</sub>), increasing the IWUE by about 37%. The experiment demonstrated that, for processing tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean, it is possible to reduce the water supply by 25% when SAP amendment is applied to the soil.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/8/718superabsorbent polymerprocessing tomatodeficit irrigationdrought tolerancewater-saving strategies |
| spellingShingle | Vito Aurelio Cerasola Lorenzo Perlotti Giuseppina Pennisi Francesco Orsini Giorgio Gianquinto Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate Horticulturae superabsorbent polymer processing tomato deficit irrigation drought tolerance water-saving strategies |
| title | Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate |
| title_full | Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate |
| title_fullStr | Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate |
| title_short | Potential Use of Superabsorbent Polymer on Drought-Stressed Processing Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) in a Mediterranean Climate |
| title_sort | potential use of superabsorbent polymer on drought stressed processing tomato i solanum lycopersicum i l in a mediterranean climate |
| topic | superabsorbent polymer processing tomato deficit irrigation drought tolerance water-saving strategies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/8/718 |
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