Impact of Shade and Water Regimes on Yield and Quality of Tomato Grown in a Plastic House in Jordan

Weather warms and the average temperature rises from 15˚ in November to 22 ˚C in March and from 300 to 35 ˚C in summer time in the Jordan valley. This work aimed to evaluate and determine the potential effects of three seasonal regimes of drip irrigation (400, 600 and 800 mm) in a greenhouse with 30% shade and without shade on fresh market tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Indeterminate transplants of tomato cultivar `Neuton` were planted in the Jordan Valley during the 2009/2010 growing season. Split plot design with three replications was used. Dry matter content of plants (leaves and stems) and stem diameter (mm) were higher under shaded plastic cover compared to the non-shaded plants. also the Number of days required for 50% flowering was statistically lower under the non-shaded. However, no significant differences were detected among water treatments regarding number of days for 50% flowering. The shaded treatments produced significantly higher yields (196.3 t/ha) compared to the non-shaded treatments (177.2 t/ha). Moreover, total tomato yields were the highest under 800 mm irrigation water regime in shaded and non-shaded? Interaction treatments of shade under all watering regimes indicated no significant differences among their total tomato yields, which support higher water conservation and better sustainable agriculture.