Effect of Different Colour Shading on Seedling Growth, Fruit Morphology and Phytochemical Properties of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var KWR)

Context: Producing high quality and chemical free tomato would favorably enhance consumer preference. There are most promising findings available on growth and quality attributes of tomato and other plants under different light spectrum in closed house conditions using different light sources. Installment of light emitting devices and running cost with high power consumption might not favorable for commercial cultivators and small scale growers. Aim: In present study we used colour transparent sheets such as colourless (control), red, blue, green and yellow as shading material to transmit respective spectrum of light on tomato plants to study the effect. Methodology: Tomato seed germination study was done under different colour shading in petri plates. Seedling and plant growth parameters and phytochemical properties of tomato plants grown under different transparent colour shadings were studied such as number of leaves, leaf area, weight of shoot and root, chlorophyll content, ascorbic acid content of fruits, lycopene contents of fruits, fruit physical parameters and flowering. Results: Seed germination was significantly high under yellow, colourless and red shading over blue and green. Seedling growth was significantly high under yellow shading. Fruit Ascorbic acid content was positively enhanced by yellow, green and colourless shading, whereas chlorophyll and lycopene content significantly high under green and red. Number of flower setting per plant was high under green shading (40±5.77), whereas lowest under yellow shading (22.33±6.38). Fruit setting significantly high under yellow shading (14±2) and lowest was red (9±1). Blue shading showed significantly high effect on fruit morphological traits such as pericarp thickness and fruit size. Conclusion: Yellow colour shading enhances seedling growth and fruit setting of tomato, while green having positive impact on fruit morphology. However, different characters of tomato were differently affected by different colour shading in greenhouse condition and for the better effect appropriate colour shading should be selected at particular stage of growth.