EFFECT OF MINERAL FERTILIZATION ON CERTAIN AGROMORPHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF THE RIBBED TOMATO VARIETY IN KORHOGO, NORTHERN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

The tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops in Côte d'Ivoire due to its high nutritional value and economic importance. However, its production remains limited by low soil fertility. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two NPK mineral fertilizer formulations on certain agromorphological parameters of the ribbed tomato variety. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (Fischer blocks) consisting of nine plots distributed across three replicates and three treatments: a no-fertilizer control (T0), NPK 12-22-22 (T1), and NPK 15-15-15 (T2). The variables measured were plant height, number of branches, stem collar diameter, number of fruits, fruit mass, and yield. The results revealed a significant effect of the NPK treatments on all parameters studied. NPK 15-15-15 promoted vertical growth in the tomato plants, resulting in a maximum height of 83.85 ± 8.42 cm. Conversely, plants treated with NPK 12-22-22 produced a number of fruits (9.20 ± 0.86), fruit mass (73.61 ± 4.11 g), and yield (1.63 ± 0.09 t/ha) that were significantly higher than those of plants treated with NPK 15-15-15.
The 12-22-22 NPK formulation resulted in good production of the ribbed tomato. It is therefore the recommended formulation for successfully growing the ribbed tomato variety in Korhogo.