EVALUATION OF GROWTH AND YEILD OF TOMATO (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) VARIETIES GROWN IN VARYING STRENGTHS OF MS-MEDIA AND VINEGAR

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L) is the most edible and nutritious vegetable crop. This study was aimed to evaluate the growth and yield of tomato varieties grown in varying strength of MS media and vinegar. Seeds of three different popular varieties of tomato (Royal Bold, Rio Grande and UC-82B) used for the study. Seedlings were grown in disposable plastic cups (6 x 8 cm) and maintained in the green house of the CPTC-Biotech, UDUS, Nigeria. After 2 weeks of seedling growth, the seedlings are grouped into four groups; the control (garden soil), full strength MS, half-strength MS and negative control (water). Each treatment was replicated 9 times and each replicate consisted of one plant. The media were changed weekly. After one month of growth, number of leaves, Plant height (cm), stem length (cm), root length (cm), Fresh and dry weight of plant (g) was measured. Separately, some tomato seedlings were transplanted into a pot with mixture of soil and manure (1:1 ratio) to determine the effect of vinegar concentrations on tomato. Commercial brand white vinegar was dissolved in distilled water to make varying concentration of 0, 1, 2, and 4%. At 2 Months-old, the groups were sprayed exogenously with 100ml of its respective vinegar solution once and repeated after 2 weeks. The number of flowers and fruit yield were recorded at harvest. The results revealed that the growth and yield of tomato varieties in varying concentrations of MS media and vinegar, increased with increasing concentrations. MS media and white vinegar effectively enhance the growth and yield performance of tomato plant. Use of Ms media and Vinegar can be considered since it provides the necessary nutrients for plant development and yield.        

Keywords: Growth and Yield; Solanum Lycopersicum L.; Ms-Media; Vinegar