Effect of irrigation level and soilless media on the growth, yield, and economics of tomato crops

A field study was conducted under open conditions at the Precision Farming Development Centre (PFDC), Dr. RPCAU, Pusa, Bihar, to evaluate optimal irrigation regimes and soilless growing media combinations for fresh market tomato production. The experiment was designed in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with two factors: irrigation levels (I₁: 100% pan evaporation [PE], I₂: 80% PE) and soilless media compositions—M₁: Cocopeat + Perlite + Vermicompost (3:1:1 by weight), M₂: Cocopeat + Perlite + Sand (3:1:1), and M₃: Cocopeat + Vermiculite + Perlite (3:1:1). Seasonal crop water requirements for tomato plants ranged from 12.72 to 15.90 cm under the respective irrigation treatments. Among the media tested, M₁ (Cocopeat + Perlite + Vermicompost) demonstrated superior performance. The interaction of M₁ with I₂ (80% PE) significantly enhanced vegetative growth and yield attributes—achieving a maximum average plant height of 102.3 cm, fruit count of 56.6 per plant, fruit weight of 87.2 g, and yield of 4.9 kg per plant. In contrast, the lowest yield (1.8 kg/plant) was observed in the M2I1 treatment. Economic analysis revealed that the M₁I₂ treatment yielded the highest benefit-cost (B:C) ratio of 2.95 and maximum net return of ₹195223 per 1000 m², while the control (M2I1) recorded the lowest B:C ratio of 1.26. The results suggest that drip irrigation at 80% PE combined with a Cocopeat + Perlite + Vermicompost medium is most effective for maximizing yield and profitability in soilless tomato cultivation under open-field conditions.