Enhancing Screen-House Tomato Productivity through Foliar Fertilisation: Evidence from Controlled Trials in Tanzania

Abstract

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are among Tanzania’s most important vegetable crops, which contribute mainly to the household nutrition and national income. Its production is mainly hampered by both biotic and abiotic factors such as pests, nutrient deficiencies and erratic climatic conditions. Adopting the use of screen houses offers a means of moderating these stresses. Despite this, nutrient management within screen-houses remains a critical challenge. Foliar fertilisers enhance nutrient uptake efficiency and correct deficiencies rapidly, particularly under conditions limiting root absorption but empirical data on their performance in Tanzanian tomato production are limited. Five fertiliser treatments; Biogenic, Nutri-plant Organic Plus, Yara Vita Crop Boost + Super Cal, Granular (DAP + NPK + CAN), and an untreated control were compared using a randomised complete block design. Results revealed that fertiliser application significantly influenced vegetative and reproductive parameters (p ≤ 0.05). The granular fertiliser treatment produced the highest leaf number (65.2), fruit set of 94.4% and yield of 10.5 tonne per hectare, while Nutri-Plant Organic Plus resulted in the tallest plants with 46.5 cm. Yara Vita Crop Boost + Super Cal improved fruit size distribution, with 30% of fruits exceeding 70 g. Even though both foliar and granular fertilisers improved tomato performance under screen-house conditions, integrating both soil and foliar based fertilisation strategies may optimise nutrient uptake, improve fruit set, and enhance tomato yield and quality under similar. Further research is needed to focus on long-term soil fertility impacts and economic feasibility for smallholder adoption in Tanzania.