Fruit thinning in seven tomato varieties (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) under greenhouse

Abstract

The experiment was conducted from May to August 2018 at the Technological University of the Southwest of Guanajuato (UTSOE) in a randomized complete block design with three repetitions, in greenhouse 1 of 700 m2 of the Sustainable and Protected Agriculture Career; with the purpose of evaluating the effect of three levels of thinning of fruits, with four, five fruits and without thinning, in the yield and plant variables in seven varieties of saladette tomato produced under greenhouse and in hydroponic substrate. The varieties evaluated were: Natalie, USATX 12227, USATX 9934, Juan Pablo, USATX 24019, USATX 16117, USATX 15538, all established at a density of 31,250 plants per hectare. The thinning levels of four and five fruits per cluster had a positive influence on tomato yield, on treatments without thinning, the Natalie and Juan Pablo varieties being the ones with the highest yield, after three weeks of harvest. Regarding the number of leaves, despite finding statistical differences (p≤ 0.01), the thinning of fruits did not necessarily influence the development of leaves, but rather was due to the genetics of each variety, the USATX 24019 variety being the that more leaves developed.