Effect of Soil pH on Tomatoes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6911/WSRJ.202510_11(10).0006Keywords:
Soil pH; Tomatoes; Effect; Research.Abstract
Soil pH is an important factor that influences crop planting due to its effects on mineral availability, growth, and reproduction of crops. This study examined the effects of three soil pH levels 5.5 (acidic), 7.1 (neutral), and 8.1 (basic) on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of Solanum lycopersicum (Brandywine). An experiment of 15 plants was carried out. Plants were grown outdoors for four months with 5 plants per treatment; vegetative traits, fruit production, and quality parameters were evaluated. Overall, the data suggests that acidic soils had the highest number of fruit per plant (13.4 ± 1.02) and superior quality traits, including mass, °Brix, lycopene, and vitamin C, but also showed an increased incidence of blossom-end rot. Neutral soils demonstrated a more balanced vegetative growth and optimal fruit mineral content, while basic soils resulted in taller plants but significantly reduced yield (8.2 ± 0.75 fruits per plant) and lower fruit quality. One-way ANOVA confirmed that there are significant differences among treatments (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that maintaining soil pH slightly acidic to neutral (6.0-6.8) enhances productivity and quality of fruit in tomato farming.
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