In organic tomato growing, animal manure amendment and cover crops maintains best yield quantity and quality

The organic production method includes a defined list of technical tools that are allowed in the EU Regulation and which can lead to different product quality. Different approaches to the fertility management of tomato organic production were compared in relation to the quality at harvest and during storage. Three organic farming systems were implemented in an experimental greenhouse: i) a simplified organic production system based on organic commercial fertilizers (SUBST); ii) organic production system based on animal manure amendment and cover crops (AGROMAN), andiii) organic production system based on green manuring of cover crops and on-farm compost amendment (AGROCOM). At harvest, breaker and pink tomatoes were sampled from each system. Breaker tomatoes were subsequently stored in a cold room at 15?C and ripened up to pink stage within 10 days. The effect of the fertilization systems was studied comparing - breaker and pink tomatoes at harvest; - breaker tomatoes after 10 days of storage; - pink tomato ripened on plant and after storage. Yield, morphological indexes, dry matter (DM), firmness, and composition were evaluated. The three systems produced comparable total (58.9?5.4 t ha-1), and marketable (48.2?5.1 t ha-1) yields. SUBST fruits were smaller in comparison to the other systems. AGROCOM system led to lower firmness, acidity and carotenoids than SUBST system and also showed the lowest DM. At harvest, SUBST tomatoes at the breaker stage showed higher vitamin C than AGROCOM, while this difference was not statistically significant after ripening. Pink tomatoes ripened on plant showed higher soluble solids content than pink tomatoes ripened in storage; moreover for AGROCOM and SUBST the carotenoids content was higher when ripened on the plant. In conclusion, organic tomatoes produced only by using off-farm input (SUBST) showed lower size and quality parameters comparable to the one produced by using on-farm input; particularly AGROMAN best maintained yield quantity and quality. The pictures 1 to 3 show the quality analysis, 4 a view of the essays, and 5 one of the manure treatments.More information in the Poster, below, and the social page of the experimental greenhouse, by clicking HERE. ? Original title, full list of authors and sourcesQuality and postharvest performance of organically grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Marmande) under unheated tunnel in Mediterranean climateF.G. Ceglie1,2, L. Muhadri2, F. Piazzolla1, G.B. Martinez-Hernandez1, M.L. Amodio1, G. Colelli11Department of Science of Agriculture, Food & Environment, University of Foggia, Italy2Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari CIHEAM IAMB, Department of Organic Agriculture, Italy V Postharvest Unlimited, ISHS International Conference, 10-13 June 2014, Cyprus,http://web.cut.ac.cy/postharvest/Pictures, kindly sent by Giancarlo Colelli and Francesco Ceglie.Key wordsPoscosecha?? ?postcosecha?? ?postharvest?? ?na-oes?? ??? ??? ???????? ????? ??? ?post-r?colte?? ????? ?? ??????????? ??? ?na-oogst?? ?post-raccolta?? ?Obr?bka po?? ?p?s-colheita?? ????????????????? ?hasat sonras??? ??? ?Ernte?? ????????????????? ????? ????????????? ?postcollita?? ?poskliz?ov頠 ????? ??? ??? ??? ?nakon branja?? ?pozberov頠 ??? ?obdelovanje zemlje po?? ?post-colleita?? ?????? ??????? ?pascapanen?? ??il?onn postharvest?? ??????? ?p?c ra?as?? ?derliaus apdirbimas po?? ?lepas tuai?? ??? ?? ???????? ?post-recoltare?? ??????? ??????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ?sau thu ho?ch?? ?????????????????? ?zangemva kwenkathi yokuvuna?? ??? ? Tomate?? ??? ?tomato?? ?tamatie?? ???????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????????? ???????? ?tomaat?? ?pomodoro?? ?pomidor?? ??? ?????????? ?domates?? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????