An environmentally sound production system of greenhouse tomato [Lycopersicon esculentum]

• Published in: Bulletin of the Agricultural Research Institute of Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan) no. 142
• Main Authors: Okamoto, M. (Kanagawa-ken. Agricultural Research Inst., Hiratsuka (Japan)), Abukawa Kitabatake, A, Miyama, Y, Fukasawa, C, Yoshida, M, Watanabe, S, Okumura, I, Asada, S, Kobayashi, M, Koshimizu, M, Akutsu, S, Uekusa, H, Kita, N, Sasaki, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: 01.03.2002
• Subjects: CULTURAL METHODS; ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION; FARM MANAGEMENT; GREENHOUSES; LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM; PILOT PROJECT
• ISSN: 0388-8231

Intensive research on an environmentally sound production system of greenhouse tomato has been performed to verify its practical availability from 1998 to 2001, aiming to reduce more than 50% of both agricultural chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. A proposed production system is consisted of hot water treatment to eradicate soil borne diseases, use of organic amendments as alternative fertilizers, bumblebees for fruit set, natural enemies for pest management and biotic fungicides for foliage diseases, while the control employed chemically synthesized pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. Both production systems, thus, have been comparatively evaluated from not only the productivity but also worktime and energy expenditure in terms of farm working strain and deduced total income. As a result, 50% reduction of the total amount of agricultural chemicals and synthetic fertilizers has been achieved without decreasing the levels of total income and/or even greater in case that consumers pay more for the tomatoes because of the healthy production process and their high quality. These results confirm that the total system established in the present study contributes to environmentally sound, sustainable greenhouse tomato production and is expected to be directly accepted by tomato growers in Kanagawa.