The Effect of Trickler Line Spacing on Yield of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.)
1979
Tsipori, Y. | Shimshi, D.
Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. cv. VF 198) growing in rows spaced 80 cm apart, were irrigated with trickler lines spaced every 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 plant rows. The seasonal amount of irrigation, on a par hectare basis was 600 mm for all the five treatments, so that with wider line spacing, more water was discharged through each line. The lowest yield (70 tons ha⁻¹) was produced by the one-row spacing, and the highest yield (118 tons ha⁻¹) — by the four-row spacing. The yield of the rows adjacent to the trickler line increased with line discharge to an extent that overcompensated for the lower yield of the outlying rows. The amount of irrigation applied was lower than potential evapotranspiration, and it is concluded that under these conditions, the higher uniformity of application associated with closer line spacing is a worse irrigation strategy than applying the same amount of irrigation to a portion of the area, thereby enhancing its production at the expense of the drier portion; the probable reason for the low yields under close spacing is the relatively high loss of soil water through surface evaporation, and the shallow soil volume through which transpirational flux occurs.
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