Effects of Different Organic Fertilizers on Some Bioactive Compounds and Yield of Cherry Tomato Cultivars

The tomato is an important fruit, both fresh and processed, for human nutrition worldwide, and plays a significant role in agriculture. Especially in the agricultural system where chemical fertilizers are not used, there may be significant differences in the quantity and quality of tomatoes. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of four types of fertilizer applications (microbial, compost, mixture [2 t da⁻¹ manure +2 t da⁻¹ compost +300 g 100 L⁻¹ microbial fertilizer], and manure) on some bioactive compounds and yield of three hybrid cherry tomato cultivars (Pekbal F1, Yeniçeri F1, and İnci F1) obtained from two Turkish seed companies. Interactions between cultivars and fertilizers were investigated for qualitative and quantitative parameters. The highest yields were obtained by application of the compost in İnci, Pekbal, and Yeniçeri (1780, 1790, and 668 kg da⁻¹, respectively). İnci F1 had the highest total soluble solids (8.82%) followed by Yeniçeri (7.64%) and Pekbal (6.90%). Yeniçeri was the least-producing cultivar with four different fertilizer applications. Another important parameter, vitamin C, was highest (32.18 mg 100 g⁻¹) in İnci F1 followed by Yeniçeri (30.44 mg 100 g⁻¹) and Pekbal (30.20 mg 100 g⁻¹). Pekbal and İnci cultivars were the most productive under the different applications. Among the organic fertilizers used in this study, compost application was the most productive for all three cherry tomato cultivars.