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ABSTRACT
Many growers have interests in using mulches, cover crops, and conservation tillage systems in tomato production, but also have concerns about the effect of soil moisture fluctuations on fruit quality. Percent soil moisture and ‘Fabulous’ tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit production in response to different mulching/tillage systems within wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crops were evaluated. Treatments applied following the mowing of the cover crops were: (1) conventional tillage (CT); (2) black polyethylene plastic over conventional tillage (BP); (3) no-tillage with cover crop killed with 1.5% glyphosate one week prior to transplanting (NT); (4) strip-tillage with cover crop killed with a 1.5% glyphosate one week prior to transplanting (ST); (5) no-tillage in which the cover crop was mowed periodically during the growing season [NT-Lm (living mulch)]; and (6) strip-tillage with the cover crop mowed and treated similar to treatment 5 (ST-Lm). Generally, there were no differences (P < 0.05) between winter rye and wheat cover crops with respect to tomato quality or yields. Large amounts of cull fruit were produced in both years, regardless of moisture; however, blossom-end rot was more severe across treatments during 1999. Under drought conditions (1999 growing season), all conservation tillage treatments had higher soil moisture readings 24 hrs after rainfall than other treatments, but BP had higher moisture levels than all other treatments under times of excessive water depletion. Under a condition of sufficient soil moisture (2000 growing season), black plastic resulted in higher soil moisture early in the season than CT or conservation tillage systems, a response associated with greater total marketable yields. Comparisons between the various conservation tillage treatments for soil moisture and tomato yields were inconclusive, but with adequate and consistent soil moisture, conservation and conventional tillage treatments produced similar marketable yields.