Growth and Yield Modeling of the Cherry Tomato ‘Cupid’ Based on Environmental Data and Model-Driven Nutrient Management in Spring Cropping

This study was conducted to develop a growth and yield prediction model for the cherry tomato cultivar 'Cupid' (Sakata Korea Seed Co., Ltd.) using environmental data and to validate the model through empirical cultivation comparing conventional soil cultivation, conventional hydroponic management, and model-driven nutrient solution management.The experiment was performed during the spring cropping cycle at the Agrocell Co., Ltd.Corporate-Affiliated Research Institute.Three treatments were compared: Control (soil cultivation), Treatment 1 (hydroponic cultivation with irrigation based on solar radiation and temperature sensors), and Treatment 2 (hydroponic cultivation with model-driven irrigation based on growth modeling).Logistic growth models were developed for the plant height, leaf area index, and fruit yield using growing degree days as the independent variable.The model-driven treatment demonstrated superior growth parameters, fruit yields, and nutrient use efficiency rates compared to conventional approaches.A regression analysis between predicted and measured values yielded high coefficients of determination (R 2 > 0.90), confirming the model's reliability.The model-driven approach reduced fertilizer consumption by 32.5% and the drainage volume by 41.8% compared to conventional hydroponic management while maintaining 98.7% of the maximum yield.This study demonstrates that integrating growth modeling with environmental sensor data enables precise and resource-efficient nutrient management for cherry tomato production.