Effect of Planting Time on the Yield and Quality of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Cerasiforme)

Abstract

Planting date is an important factor which directly related to crop production in a specific area. Different planting time may affect crop yield and quality due to varying climatic conditions at different stages of crop growth and development. The present experiment was laid out to investigate the effect of planting date at an interval of 15 days during winter season of 2019-20 on the yield and quality of cherry tomato. The potentiality of fruiting in the winter season was evaluated by planting on November 15, November 30, December 15, December 30 and January 14. Data on yield and quality attributes of cherry tomato like plant height, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant (g), yield (t ha-1), TSS (%), pH and vitamin C contents (mg 100 g-1) were recorded. Results revealed that planting time had significant effects on the yield and quality parameters of cherry tomato. Cherry tomato performed better on 30 November planting date in respect of yield and vitamin C content due to favorable climatic conditions at different growing stages as per requirements that may lead to higher yield and quality of fruits.