Improvement in growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomato by foliar application of humic and salicylic acids

Abstract Using plant biostimulants to enhance crop productivity and improve fruit quality is an effective, environmentally friendly approach. This research aimed to assess the effects of humic acid (HA) with salicylic acid (SA) on the growth metrics, yield, and fruit attributes of BARI Tomato 16. The current research was conducted with humic acid (H0: 0 mgL− 1, H1: 30 mgL− 1, H2: 60 mgL− 1, H3: 90 mgL− 1) and salicylic acid (S0: 0 mgL− 1, S1: 40 mgL− 1, S2: 80 mgL− 1, S3: 120 mgL− 1) were applied three times at 30, 70, & 90 days after transplanting. Their combined application increased the early flowering and fruiting of tomatoes by 17% and 12%, flower and fruit number by 60% and 40%, and total yield per hectare by 88% respectively to control. Additionally, the brix content, lycopene content, sodium content and vitamin C content resulted in a 10%, 9%, 48% and 48% increase respectively from the control groups. Based on this investigation, it is found that the simultaneous use of HA and SA enhanced production, fruit development, and nutritional content. Furthermore, the tomato plants subjected to a combination of humic and salicylic acids (90 mgL− 1 HA with 80 mgL− 1 SA) exhibited better effects than the other treatment groups.