Abstract
Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme) is a high-value vegetable crop widely appreciated for its attractive colour, flavour, nutritional quality and antioxidant content. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of different fertigation schedules using water-soluble fertilizers on the growth, yield and quality of cherry tomato cultivated under protected conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Protected Structure Orchard, Department of Vegetable Science, Horticulture College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, using the variety Pusa Cherry Tomato-1. Nine treatments comprising different combinations of soil application and fertigation with water-soluble fertilizers were evaluated in a Completely Randomized Block Design with three replications. Among the treatments, T3 (100% RDF through fertigation using water-soluble fertilizers) recorded superior performance with respect to plant height, flowering characters, fruit set percentage, yield and quality parameters. The treatment produced the highest yield per hectare (23.95 t ha-1), maximum lycopene content (8.16 mg 100 g-1), total carotenoids (11.45 mg 100 g-1) and total soluble solids (6.01 °Brix). The findings confirmed that precision fertigation through water-soluble fertilizers significantly improved nutrient use efficiency, fruit quality and productivity of cherry tomato under protected cultivation. The study also demonstrated the importance of evaluating reduced fertigation levels and integrated nutrient delivery systems for sustainable protected vegetable production.