Characteristics and Driving Factors of Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Chinese Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation

Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application in greenhouses could cause a significant variation in the nitrogen-use efficiency at the regional scale. This study aims to quantify agronomic nitrogen-use efficiency (AEN) and identify its driving factors across Chinese greenhouse tomato cultivation. Three hundred and forty-eight AEN values were obtained from 64 papers, including mineral nitrogen (MN) and mineral combined with organic nitrogen (MON) treatments. The average AEN values for the MN and MON treatments were 56.6 ± 7.0 kg kg−1 and 34.6 ± 3.5 kg kg−1, respectively. The AEN of the MN treatment was higher than that of the MON treatment for cultivation using soil with an organic matter content of less than 10 g kg−1 and the drip fertigation method. The AENs of the MN and MON treatments were divided into two segments according to the nitrogen application rate. The inflection points of the nitrogen application rate were 290 and 1100 kg N ha−1 for the MN and MON treatments, respectively. When the ratio of organic nitrogen to total nitrogen was less than 0.4, it was beneficial for improving the AEN. The soil organic matter content and the nitrogen application rate were the most critical factors determining the AEN. These results suggest that rationally reducing the nitrogen input and partially substituting mineral nitrogen with organic nitrogen can help improve the nitrogen-use efficiency.

A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Food Loss in Glasshouse-Grown Tomatoes

Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is one strategy to limit the environmental impact of the food supply chain. Australian data suggest that primary production accounts for 31% of national FLW, but there are no comparable data in New Zealand. This study aimed to measure food loss and explore food loss drivers for one of New Zealand’s largest tomato growers by weighing and visually assessing tomato losses at the glasshouse, packhouse and sales warehouse. Qualitative interviews were also held with the grower (n = 3), employees (n = 10), and key industry stakeholders (n = 8). Total food loss for this greenhouse tomato grower was 16.9% of marketed yield, consisting of 13.9% unharvested tomatoes, 2.8% rejected at the glasshouse and 0.3% rejected at the packhouse. The grower’s tomato loss predominantly resulted from commercial factors such as market price, competitor activity and supply and demand. Similar issues were recognized throughout the New Zealand horticulture sector. Commercial factors, in particular, are challenging to address, and collaboration throughout the supply chain will be required to help growers reduce food losses.

Оптимизация элементов технологии возделывания томатов в защищенном грунте по малообъемной технологии

The elements of the technology of cultivation of tomatoes by a low-volume hydroponic method using the mineral wool substrate "Grodan" have been studied. The advantages of growing crops by the method of low-volume technology in the greenhouse complex SRL "Polimer Gaz Conducte", Falesti, Moldova are shown. The trade name of the branch is "EcoAgroPrim". Greenhouse SRL "PolimerGazPrim" is a member of the Moldovan Association "Association of Farmers of Moldova", which includes 128 greenhouse facilities. The enterprise produces 130-245 tons of pink-fruited indoor (greenhouse) tomato per year. We studied and analyzed the elements of technology for growing tomatoes in greenhouses using low-volume technology and carried out phenological observations and biometric measurements of plants for several years 2015-2020. It is shown that based on the analysis of phenological observations and biometric measurements, a table of the seasonal development of the crop was compiled, and the highest yield was noted in May and June for all years of observation and, accordingly, the gross harvest was the highest during this period.