Browsing by Author "Gunathilaka, K.R.K.S."

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    Effect of Different Fertilizers on Growth Performance and Yield of Lanka Sour Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Meegallage, G.M.S.P.; Chathurika, D.J.G.K.; Weerakkodi, W.A.G.I.S.; Gunathilaka, K.R.K.S.; Premathilake, U.G.A.T.
    Tomato cultivation in Sri Lanka is an intensive and highly commercialized system. The continuous application of inorganic fertilizers leads to a decline of soil characteristics, accumulation of heavy metals in plant tissue, and harm to human health. Application of organic fertilizers a noble and eco- friendly practice to maintain sustainable soil fertility. Currently, there is an emerging trend towards the consumption of organically produced fruits and vegetables. The present study was performed to study the effect of different fertilizers on the growth and yield performance of Lanka Sour tomato, a traditional tomato variety, which has been poorly studied in Sri Lanka. Tomato was cultivated inside a protected house at Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design with five treatments and five replicates. The treatments consisted of control (No fertilizer) (To), inorganic fertilizers (Urea, TSP, and MOP according to Department of Agriculture recommendations) (T1), compost (T2), poultry manure (T3), and cow dung (T4). Topsoil and sand (1:1) were used as the potting mixture. The pH, electrical conductivity, available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and exchangeable potassium (K) were analyzed in the potting media. The compost consisted of cattle manure, green manure, coir dust, dolomite, hay, and gliricidia. The highest nutrient composition (N-3.3%, P-4%, and K-3.1%) was recorded in compost. Under growth parameters, plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, stem girth, chlorophyll content of leaves, root dry weight, and root length were measured. The number of flowers per plant, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit pH, and total soluble solid of fruits were taken as yield parameters. Significantly (p<0.05) highest growth performances {plant height (81.10±3.83cm), number of leaves/plant (841.4±81.0), stem girth (3.86±0.15cm), and root weight (28.04±10.12g)} were observed in compost treated plants. Moreover, the application of compost significantly (p<0.05) increased the number of flowers/plant (27.8±6.6) and fruit yield/plant (731.8±55.6g) in tomatoes. Results of the study indicated that Lanka sour tomato well responds to organic fertilizers, and compost application had promising effects on both growth and yield performances. Therefore, the present study suggested that there is a high potential to cultivate Lanka sour tomato under organic fertilizers. Keywords: Compost; Fertilizers; Growth; Organic; Tomato; Yield
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    Evaluation of the Efficiency of Weed Seed Separation from Crop Seeds Using the Seed Color Sorter
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Gunathilaka, K.R.K.S.; Premathilaka, K.G.; Jayakody, D.P.P.
    Seed color sorter machine has the potential to help quarantine purposes by facilitating the separation of weed seeds from crop seeds. It separates weed seeds from crop seeds based on color differences with the help of Near Infra-Red cameras. The current study was conducted to evaluate the separation efficiency of ‘Sinvec’ seed color sorter with the appropriate speed level. This study was conducted at the National Plant Quarantine Service, Katunayake, during the period from September to December 2019. Three random samples of 500 g were taken from onion, radish, coriander, leeks, and carrot separately. Each sample was mixed with quarantine important weed seed mixture which was prepared using 5 quarantine weed seed species. 10 seeds from each weed species were used. Prepared samples were tested under 3-speed levels viz., 55, kg hr-1 , 45 kg hr-1 and 35 kg hr-1 . The manual separation was followed to clarify the obtained results. Average separation efficiency was calculated using 3 replicates. The time taken for the machine to finish the sorting process was measured and the weight of rejected crop seeds of each machine test was also weighed. Data were analysed using the SAS university edition. Speed 45 kg hr-1 showed better performances compared to the other two speed levels. Under 45 kg hr-1 speed, the weed seed separation efficiency for coriander was 80- 100%. Separation efficiency for leeks, carrot, onion, and radish was 73-100%, 76-100%, 50-86% and 46.7-90%, respectively. Always, the machine method consumed less time compared to the manual method. Drawbacks of seed color sorter were found during the study as it was unable to achieve 100% separation efficiency, Improper data feeding procedure, Malfunctioning with crop seeds treated with colored fungicides, highly sensitive to voltage variations, the higher weight of rejection, needs of proper technical knowledge to operate the machine. These findings will be useful in the future for the proper functioning of the new Seed Color Sorter in handling large seed lots. Keywords: Seed colour sorting, Separation efficiency, Weed seeds, Quarantine
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    Exploring the Potential of Coconut Water as a Liquid Fertilizer for Greenhouse Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Ranawana, S.R.W.M.C.J.K.; Weerakkodi, W.A.G.I.S.; Gunathilaka, K.R.K.S.; Kaliyadasa, P.E.
    Coconut water (CW) is one of the world‟s most versatile natural products rich in essential minerals and growth hormones. Despite its potentials, large quantities of coconut water remain unutilized at the industry and household levels as waste in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, the present study investigates the potential of coconut water as a liquid fertilizer for greenhouse tomato production. For this purpose, different combinations of coconut water (CW) and Albert‟s solution (AS) were evaluated under controlled environment conditions using tomato cv “Thilina” in grow bag culture. The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Design with five treatments replicated thrice, viz., T1 (100% CW), T2 (100% AS + CW spray), T3 (75% CW + 25% AS), T4 (50% CW + 50% AS) and T5 (100% AS at recommended dosage) as the control. Growth and yield parameters were measured at 45 and 60 days after transplanting (DAT). T4 and T5 (control) treated plants recorded statistically similar values, which were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the others for plant height (98.7±4.7; 95.3±2.4 cm), number of flower clusters/plant (16.3±1.8;16±1.2) and number of flowers/plant (78±8.7;76.7±2.2) at 45 DAT, respectively. A similar pattern was observed at 60 DAT for plant height (139.3±8.1;138.7±0.7 cm), number of flower clusters/plant (23±1.5;21.7±1.5), number of fruits/plant (76.3±6.4;77.7±4.3), average fruit weight (87.7±0.6;81.7±0.4 g) and total yield/plant (1755.1±8.9;1753.4±14.1 g) in T4 and T5 respectively. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in pH and TSS (°Brix) among treatments. pH value ranged from 5.12 in T5 to 5.33 in T3. The highest TSS (°Brix) value (5.67±0.33) was recorded by T4. Plants treated with 100% CW (T1) showed a 13% total yield reduction per plant compared to the control, possibly due to low nitrogen content. In conclusion, coconut water has a potential to be developed as a liquid fertilizer for greenhouse tomatoes partially replacing the requirement of Albert‟s solution (AS) which is more cost effective. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the possibility of using 100% coconut water with supplementary organic sources of nitrogen. Keywords: Albert‟s solution; Coconut water; Growth and yield; Tomato