Processing tomato - RDI x Biodegradable mulching film
Description
Italy is the third yielding country of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) worldwide. However, its production is projected to be considerably affected by climate change effects, especially in drought-prone regions where maximizing water use efficiency is essential. A two-year on-farm experiment was carried out to compare full irrigation (T1) with two water-saving irrigation techniques on processing tomato: T2 (Regulated Deficit Irrigation, RDI) and T3 (RDI combined with black biodegradable mulching film). The experiment was carried out at two representative Southern Italy sites, where yield performance, sustainability, and fruit quality were assessed. T2 resulted in a 31% water saving and maintained comparable yields, increasing the irrigation (+44%) and economic (+56%) water productivities with respect to T1. T3 improved soluble solids content (+4%), marketable (+23%) and brix (+28%) yield, and irrigation (+71%) and economic (+90%) water productivities when compared to T1. Metabolic profiling further highlighted that T3 boosted key stress-related metabolites, including alanine (+50%), glycine (+31%), and proline (+44%) indicating an enhanced metabolic adaptation to water stress. Based on these findings, T3 is recommended as valuable practice for improving yield and sustainability while maintaining fruit quality in drought-prone areas.