Vol. 39 No. 2 (2025)
Articles

Effect of partial-extreme root restriction and nutrient solution concentration on the performance of hydroponically grown tomato

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  • A.W. Ayarna,
  • S. Tsukagoshi,
  • H.O. Sintim,
  • J. Ulzen,
  • J.N. Amissah,
  • M. Bukari,
  • S.A. Poku,
  • M. Takagaki,
  • N. Lu,
  • S. Adjei-Nsiah,
  • G.O. Nkansah
A.W. Ayarna
Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25 Accra, Ghana.
S. Tsukagoshi
Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Kashiwanoha 6‐2‐1, Kashiwa, Chiba 277‐0882, Japan.
H.O. Sintim
Institute of Applied Science and Technology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25, Accra, Ghana.
J. Ulzen
Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25 Accra, Ghana.
J.N. Amissah
Department of Crop Science, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25, Accra, Ghana.
M. Bukari
Institute of Applied Science and Technology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25, Accra, Ghana.
S.A. Poku
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25, Accra, Ghana.
M. Takagaki
Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Kashiwanoha 6‐2‐1, Kashiwa, Chiba 277‐0882, Japan.
N. Lu
Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Kashiwanoha 6‐2‐1, Kashiwa, Chiba 277‐0882, Japan.
S. Adjei-Nsiah
Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25 Accra, Ghana.
G.O. Nkansah
Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 25 Accra, Ghana.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-17221
Categories

Published 2025-08-08

Keywords

  • Fruit quality,
  • hydroponics,
  • nutrient mix strength,
  • photosynthesis,
  • root confinement,
  • water uptake
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Ayarna, A. W., Tsukagoshi, S., Sintim, H. . O., Ulzen, J., Amissah, J. N., Bukari, M., Poku, S. A., Takagaki, M., Lu, N., Adjei-Nsiah, S., & Nkansah, G. O. (2025). Effect of partial-extreme root restriction and nutrient solution concentration on the performance of hydroponically grown tomato. Advances in Horticultural Science, 39(2), 113–123. https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-17221

Copyright (c) 2025 Alex Williams Ayarna, Satoru Tsukagoshi, Henry Ofosuhene Sintim, Jacob Ulzen, Naalamle Amissah, Musa Bukari, Samuel Aduse Poku, Michiko Takagaki, Na Lu, Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, George Oduro Nkansah

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Tomato is a valuable agricultural commodity widely used across Africa with the potential to contribute to food and nutritional security. However, its yield, quality, and profitability are hindered by several challenges. The study evaluated the impact of partial-extreme root restriction and no root restriction on the performance of Jaguar tomato cultivar in two different nutrient solution concentrations: standard (2.4 dS m-1) and half concentration (1.2 dS m-1). The cultivation spanned three months using a recirculating hydroponic system arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were collected on physio-morphological responses, yield, fruit quality, and water uptake. Plant growth, leaf gas exchange, yield, fruit quality, total water uptake, and root growth were significantly influenced by the nutrient solution concentration with root restriction. Particularly, plant growth, photosynthesis, total water use (52-62%), and yield were significantly reduced but fruit quality was improved by 25% compared to previous findings in Ghana. Conversely, the standard nutrient solution concentration without root restriction recorded the highest yield of 32.4 kg m-2 y-1. These findings can serve as a manipulative hydroponic tool to increase tomato productivity and resource-use efficiency, especially in regions with limited water availability.

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