title: Yields and Nutritional of Greenhouse Tomato in Response to Different Soil Aeration Volume at two depths of Subsurface drip irrigation.
abstract: This study investigated the effects of 4 aeration levels (varied by injection of air to the soil through subsurface irrigation lines) at two subsurface irrigation line depths (15 and 40 cm) on plant growth, yield and nutritional quality of greenhouse tomato. In all experiments, fruit number, width and length, yield, vitamin C, lycopene and sugar/acid ratio of tomato markedly increased in response to the aeration treatments. Vitamin C, lycopene, and sugar/acid ratio increased by 41%, 2%, and 43%, respectively, in the 1.5 times standard aeration volume compared with the no-aeration treatment. An interaction between aeration level and depth of irrigation line was also observed with yield, fruit number, fruit length, vitamin C and sugar/acid ratio of greenhouse tomato increasing at each aeration level when irrigation lines were placed at 40 cm depth. However, when the irrigation lines were 15 cm deep, the trend of total fruit yields, fruit width, fruit length and sugar/acid ratio first increased and then decreased with increasing aeration level. Total soluble solids and titrable acid decreased with increasing aeration level both at 15 and 40 cm irrigation line placement. When all of the quality factors, yields and economic benefit are considered together, the combination of 40 cm line depth and "standard" aeration level was the optimum combination.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences &Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Wenquan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G2H1, AB Canada.
authors.forename: Miles
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dyck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.|Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Jingwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences &Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zou
mesh_terms: D057914:Agricultural Irrigation / Q000379:methods*; D000388:Air; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D000077276:Lycopene; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D000073893:Sugars / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D000073893:Sugars; D002338:Carotenoids; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D000077276:Lycopene