Effect of substrates formulated with organic materials on yielding, commercial and phytochemical quality, and benefit-cost ratio of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) produced under greenhouse conditions

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of substrates formulated with different blends of sand-solarized manure and sand-vermicompost over yield, commercial and phytochemical quality of greenhouse tomatoes, and in addition to determine their benefit-cost (B/C) ratio for organic production of tomato. Six substrates were established consisting in blends of sand with 20, 30 or 40% of solarized manure (SM20, SM30 and SM40), and 20, 30 and 40% of vermicompost (VC20, VC30 and VC40), and control (TA) of sand fertilized with Steiner solution. Fruit yielding, commercial (fruit size, equatorial and longitudinal diameter, firmness, and soluble solids content), and nutraceutical quality (phenolic and lycopene content) were evaluated. In addition, cost-benefit (B/C) ratio of treatments was compared. Micro morphological analysis of the organic materials showed microscopic differences that could affect substrate functional properties. Substrate type affect yielding, and VC40 substrate had a higher yield than SM substrates, but SM20 had the highest phenolic and lycopene content in fruit, in addition to the highest cost-benefit production ratio (2.31). These results confirm that substrates formulated with blends of sand and either SM or VC can be used for organic production of tomato fruits with an adequate commercial and phytochemical quality without affecting yield, additionally to the economic advantages of such substrates for protected agriculture systems.