Prospects for the Use of Sapropel for Growing Tomatoes in Open Field Conditions of the Foothill Zone of Dagestan

Introduction: Sapropel, as a source of humic compounds, holds significant potential for use in vegetable cultivation. Its application improves the agrophysical properties of the soil, enhances the quality of tomato seedlings, and increases nutrient availability for plants. However, studies on the use of soil mixtures based on sapropel and peat-sapropel substrates for growing tomatoes in the foothill zone of Dagestan have not been conducted before. 

Purpose: To study the effect of using soil mixtures based on sapropel and peat-sapropel substrates on the morphological, biological, and yield indicators of determinate tomato varieties to identify the most promising varieties for cultivation in the foothill zone of Dagestan. 

Materials and Methods: The analysis of soil and plant samples was carried out in the analytical laboratory of the “Federal Agricultural Research Center of the Republic of Dagestan” according to GOST standards. The study included five determinate tomato varieties grown in three experimental options: 1 – control without fertilizers, 2 – with sapropel, and 3 – with a peat-sapropel mixture (ratio 2:1). The soil mixture based on sapropel and peat was used in a 3:1 ratio. Five early-maturing varieties from the selection of FGBNU “FNTSO” (VNIISSOK) were tested: Sodruzhestvo, Blagodatny, Voskhod VNIISSOK, Severyanka, and Viking. The experiment was repeated three times. 

Results: The study revealed that the average seed germination rate in the control group was 77.4%, while in the variant with sapropel it was 87.8%, and in the peat-sapropel mixture – 90.6%. Morphological analysis showed that the height of the main stem in plants grown on soil with sapropel and peat-sapropel substrate increased by 14% to 86% compared to the control. The Viking variety had the highest stem height (an increase of 22% and 86% compared to the control) and the greatest number of lateral shoots (an average of 18). On average, the Viking variety also produced the highest number of fruits per plant (46.0 units) and the best yield (42.6 t/ha), exceeding the yield of other varieties by 1.4–12.8 t/ha. The yield of tomato varieties ranged from 24.6 to 44.9 t/ha. 

Conclusion: The use of sapropel and peat-sapropel substrate in soil mixtures positively affects the morphological and yield characteristics of tomatoes and can be recommended for vegetable cultivation in the foothill zone of Dagestan. 

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