Interactive Influence of Irrigation Regimes and Integrated Nutrient Management on Reproductive Performance and Seed Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2023–24 and 2024–25 at the Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, to evaluate the interactive effects of irrigation regimes and integrated nutrient management (INM) on the reproductive performance and seed quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) var. Kashi Aman. The experiment followed a split-plot design with three replications, comprising normal irrigation and drought stress in the main plots and eight nutrient treatments in the subplots. Drought advanced flowering but reduced locule number, seeds per fruit, seed test weight and germination. The integrated treatment comprising 50% recommended fertiliser dose, 50% vermicompost and biofertilisers recorded the highest locule numbers, seeds per fruit, seed test weights and germination under both irrigation regimes. The treatment comprising 100% vermicompost and biofertilisers induced the earliest flowering under normal and drought conditions. Vermicompost alone, vermicompost with biofertilisers and biofertilisers alone showed comparatively greater stability for selected reproductive and seed-quality traits under drought. Overall, combining inorganic, organic and microbial nutrient sources supported tomato reproductive performance and seed quality under water-limited conditions. These findings indicate the potential value of integrated nutrient management for improving reproductive efficiency under drought, although validation across additional cultivars, locations and quantified water regimes is required before broader recommendations are made.