Yield in tomato under two water depths and plastic mulching

The search for sustainable agriculture is a reality that aims saving water and agricultural inputs to obtain greater productivity. Some techniques can be used for this purpose, such as drip irrigation and the plastic mulch of the soil. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the effects of plastic mulch under two water depths on the productive characteristics of a commercial tomato field. The employed experimental design was the completely randomized in a 2 x 2 factorial. The sources of variation were two types of soil cover (with and without plastic mulch) and two water depths (164 mm and 188 mm) with nine replicates. Plant height and water use efficiency were not influenced by soil mulch or water depth variation. Soil with plastic mulch provided a lower mean fruit mass (108.32 g fruit-1), however, with a higher number of fruits per plant (70), which contributed to a higher commercial yield (58.42 t ha-1). The highest total yield (64.08 t ha-1) was obtained in the soil with plastic mulch under the water depth of 188 mm. The use of plastic mulch associated with a water depth of 188 mm provided an increase in tomato yield.