LAUSR

BACKGROUND The need to increase marketable yields and decrease losses due to sunburns and disease development during the summer period motivates farmers to adopt additional cultural practices, such as shading and grafting. In order to investigate complex interactions of grafting and shading dependent of tomato cultivar grafted and ungrafted tomato (cv. Optima F1 and cv Big beef F1 ) was grown in the soil under net-house cover by pearl and red nets and in unshaded condition (open field). The tomatoes fruits at pink stage of maturity were used for analysis of quality traits while total and marketable yields were recorded during the whole production season. RESULTS Grafting and shading in tomato production might be considered as a part of cultivation practice to increase marketable yield of tomato. Decrease of sugar content increased uptake of some micro (Fe and Zn) and macro elements (Ca) and in some cases firmer and less elastic skin may be expected due to grafting while shading with pearl net might result in fruit with lower firmness and higher total and particularly malic acid content. CONCLUSION Shading by color nets and grafting provides an alternative strategy by which to achieve higher fruit yield and avoid or reduce tomato quality decrease caused by environmental stresses, such as the excess of radiation and temperature in the summer cropping season. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.