Smoke-water and a Smoke-isolated Butenolide Improve Growth and Yield of Tomatoes under Greenhouse Conditions

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Abstract
Smoke shows promising results in stimulating germination and vigor. The biologically active butenolide compound isolated from smoke has potential to become a valuable tool in horticulture. ‘Heinz-1370’ tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) seedlings showed a positive response to smoke and were therefore tested with smoke-water and butenolide for growth, yield, and nutritional composition. Smoke-water (1:500, by volume) treatment showed the maximum height, number of leaves, and stem thickness from 57 to 78 days after sowing. The percentage of plants with fruit from 85 to 95 days after sowing was much higher with the application of smoke-water and butenolide solution than in the control. The total number of marketable fruit was significantly greater ( P ≤ 0.05) for smoke-water–treated (1:500, by volume) tomato plants (168) than for the control (124). Butenolide and the lower concentration of smoke-water (1:2000, by volume) yielded more fruit, but was not significantly ( P ≥ 0.05) different from the control. In spite of achieving a greater number of fruit, smoke treatments did not significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) change the size, weight, and nutritional composition (ascorbic acid, β-carotene, lycopene, and total soluble solids) of fruit. The harvest indices of smoke-water– and butenolide-treated plants significantly improved ( P ≤ 0.05), suggesting the possible use of smoke technology for tomato cultivation.

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