Impact of SV SUGARBAN on growth, yield and crop safety of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a vital vegetable crop facing production challenges such as nutrient deficiencies, biotic stresses and reduced soil fertility, leading to lower yields and quality, with biostimulants like SV SUGARBAN-containing humic acids, phytohormones and seaweed extracts-explored to enhance nutrient efficiency, stress tolerance and productivity. A field experiment was conducted from December 2023 to May 2024 at ZAHRS, Navile, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga, India, using a randomized block design with three replications and seven treatments involving soil drenching of SV SUGARBAN at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 L acre^-1 at 40 days after transplanting (DAT) on Arka Rakshak hybrid tomato, assessing morphological (plant height, branches, leaf area, LAI), physiological (chlorophyll content), yield components (flowering, fruit traits, yield) and phytotoxicity parameters at specified intervals, alongside pre- and post-harvest soil analyses, with data analysed using ANOVA at P=0.05. At 80 DAT, SV SUGARBAN at 10.0 L acre^-1 significantly increased leaf area (7104 cm²), LAI (1.316), chlorophyll a (1.864 mg g^-1), b (0.702 mg g^-1) and total (2.566 mg g^-1) compared to control (6234 cm², 1.154, 1.500, 0.573, 2.073 mg g^-1, respectively), with flowers per cluster higher (3.7) at 10.0 and 7.5 L acre^-1 vs. control (3.0), fruit yield reaching 59.49 t ha^-1 at 10.0 L acre^-1 vs. 52.29 t ha^-1 in control, no phytotoxicity observed across doses and post-harvest soil nutrients showing slight declines indicative of efficient uptake. SV SUGARBAN application via soil drenching safely enhances tomato growth, physiological efficiency and yield by 13.77% at optimal doses, promoting sustainable nutrient use without soil residue buildup.