Author(s): Chikomborero Chikarango, Chakeredza Sebastian, Jefta Tabarira and Mtaita Tuarira

Abstract: As hade-house experiment was conducted at Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe to evaluate the effect of hydrogel addition in pine bark (growing media) on the growth and development of tomato seedlings when subjected to moisture stress conditions. The experiment was laid out in a complete randomized design (CRD) having four treatments with three replicates as follows: Treatment A (1 hydrogel capsule), treatment B (2 hydrogel capsules), treatment C (3 hydrogel capsules) and treatment D which was the control having no hydrogel capsules added. The obtained results showed that the application of 1, 2 and 3 hydrogel capsules had a positive effect on the growth and development of tomato seedlings. The addition of hydrogel capsules promoted water and nutrient retention which explains why the effects of moisture stress and leaching were at a minimal as compared to the control. Treatment C had the best performance in all measured parameters mainly because the capsules added could retain more water and nutrients as compared to all the other treatments. Hydrogel can be a game changer in the seedling production of tomatoes through its climate proofing mechanism securing the future of seedling production in water limited environments. However, further experiments are to be conducted with 4, 5 and 6 hydrogel capsules to validate that 3 hydrogel capsules give the best results. Further experiments will help in knowing the number of capsules to apply for the best performance until they begin to have a detrimental effect on the growth and development of the tomato seedlings. Data was collected and recorded in Microsoft Excel and subjected to statistical analysis using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Differences between means were determined using the least significant difference (LSD) test at P = 0.05% level. The findings were presented in the form of clustered and bar graphs which had polynomial trend lines and equations.

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