The comparative study of the growth performance, yield and lycopene content of hydroponically grown tomatoes with their soil grown counter parts

Abstract

The rampant unchecked climate change that is greatly impacting the conventional soil based crop cultivation in Uganda has created a necessity of embracing a new method of crop production. This study compared the growth performance, yield and lycopene content of tomatoes grown in hydroponics and the soil media system. The tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. Cal j) were cultivated using a completely randomised design with 3 treatments (hydroponics, soil & control) replicated three times. Growth in height and RGRh were determined at a two weeks interval. Yield was assessed as a measurement of the total fresh weight of the harvested tomato fruits. Lycopene assay was performed on fruits using HEA mixture read at 503 Abs and the collected data were analysed using R statistical package. The treatments had a significant effect on the yield and lycopene content. The hydroponically grown tomatoes attained a significantly higher yield and lycopene content than their soil grown counterparts. The height and RGRh did not vary significantly across all the treatments, although the hydroponically grown had a higher numerical value than the soil grown. The results revealed that hydroponics is as good a media as soil or even better, hence, can be a viable alternative to the soil-based crop cultivation.