Effects of the modification of light intensity by color shade nets on yield and quality of tomato fruits

Abstract The photoselective netting concept was studied in a tomato ‘Vedeta’ cultivation in the south part of Serbia (Aleksinac) under high solar radiation, using four different colored shade-nets (pearl, red, blue and black) with different relative shading (40% and 50% PAR). Exposure to full sunlight was used as a control. Red and pearl nets with 40% shade significantly increased the total yield. Shading reduced the appearance of tomato cracking and eliminated sunscalds on tomato fruits and accordingly, increased the marketable tomato production by about 35% compared to non-shading conditions. Changing the light intensity by color shade nets affected the biosynthesis of lycopene and β-carotene in tomatoes. Thus, significantly higher lycopene content was observed in greenhouse tomato integrated with red shade netting technologies (64.9 μg g −1 ) than in field-grown tomatoes (48.1 μg g −1 ). By contrast, shaded fruits have lower content of β-carotene. The photo-selective, light-dispersive shade nets appear as interesting tools that can be further implemented within protected cultivation practices.

[1]  P. Jolliffe,et al.  Some inhibitory effects of radiation stress on tomato fruit ripening , 1987 .

[2]  J. L. Andriolo,et al.  Effect of shading on tomato plants grow under greenhouse , 2003 .

[3]  N. Katsoulas,et al.  Influence of shading screens on microclimate, growth and productivity of tomato. , 2009 .

[4]  D. Cvetković,et al.  UV-induced changes in antioxidant capacities of selected carotenoids toward lecithin in aqueous solution , 2008 .

[5]  J. Jen,et al.  RED LIGHT INTENSITY AND CAROTENOID BIOSYNTHESIS IN RIPENING TOMATOES , 1975 .

[6]  Lajos Helyes,et al.  Lycopene content and colour of ripening tomatoes as affected by environmental conditions , 2006 .

[7]  N. Carazo,et al.  COLOURED SHADE NETS EFFECTS ON TOMATO CROPS QUALITY , 2007 .

[8]  M. Pospišil,et al.  The effect of color shade nets on the greenhouse climate and pepper yield. , 2011 .

[9]  Charanjit Kaur,et al.  Antioxidants in tomato (Lycopersium esculentum) as a function of genotype , 2004 .

[10]  I. Seginer,et al.  FLOW THROUGH INCLINED AND CONCERTINA-SHAPE SCREENS , 2008 .

[11]  L. Helyes,et al.  Appreciation and analysis of lycopene content of tomato , 2003 .

[12]  E. Gussakovsky,et al.  Colornets: crop protection and light-quality manipulation in one technology , 2004 .

[13]  Mario Dadomo,et al.  Effects of environmental factors and agricultural techniques on antioxidantcontent of tomatoes , 2003 .

[14]  S. Al-Hammadi,et al.  Assessment of lycopene content of fresh tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and tomato products in the United Arab Emirates. , 2010 .

[15]  Y. Shahak,et al.  Light‐Quality Manipulation by Horticulture Industry , 2007 .

[16]  M. Gent.  Density and Duration of Shade Affect Water and Nutrient Use in Greenhouse Tomato , 2008 .

[17]  M. Gent,et al.  Effect of Degree and Duration of Shade on Quality of Greenhouse Tomato , 2007 .

[18]  A. El-Gizawy,et al.  EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SHADING LEVELS ON TOMATO PLANTS. 2. YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY , 1993 .

[19]  The impact of changing light levels and fruit load on the pattern of tomato yields , 2001 .

[20]  L. Helyes,et al.  Effect of natural light on surface temperature and lycopene content of vine ripened tomato fruit , 2007 .

[21]  R. Alba,et al.  Fruit-localized phytochromes regulate lycopene accumulation independently of ethylene production in tomato. , 2000, Plant physiology.

[22]  A. P. Papadopoulos,et al.  Greenhouse Tomato Fruit Quality , 2010 .

[23]  J. Kuti,et al.  Effects of genotype and cultivation environment on lycopene content in red‐ripe tomatoes , 2005 .

[24]  M. L. García,et al.  EXTERNAL GREENHOUSE MOBILE SHADING: EFFECT ON MICROCLIMATE, WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND YIELD OF A TOMATO CROP GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT SALINITY LEVELS OF THE NUTRIENT SOLUTION , 2003 .

[25]  Y. Shahak,et al.  PHOTOSELECTIVE SHADE NETTING INTEGRATED WITH GREENHOUSE TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OF VEGETABLE AND ORNAMENTAL CROPS , 2008 .

[26]  M. Amo,et al.  Physicochemical and colorimetric evaluation of local varieties of tomato grown in SE Spain , 2001 .

[27]  A. Chesson,et al.  Phenolic compounds, lycopene and antioxidant activity in commercial varieties of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) , 2002 .

[28]  V. Preedy,et al.  Tomatoes and Tomato Products: Nutritional, Medicinal and Therapeutic Properties , 2008 .

[29]  H. Gautier,et al.  Effect of photoselective filters on the physical and chemical traits of vine-ripened tomato fruits , 2005 .

[30]  Nina Kacjan.  Evaluation of ten cultivars of determinate tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.), grown under different climatic conditions , 2005 .

[31]  I. Rylski,et al.  Effect of shading on plant development, yield and fruit quality of sweet pepper grown under conditions of high temperature and radlation , 1986 .

[32]  J. Levy,et al.  The Functions of Tomato Lycopene and Its Role in Human Health , 2004 .