Plant growth and nutrient accumulation in two tomato hybrids under tropical conditions

Abstract

An adequate nutrient supply can reduce production costs, improve tomato quality, and increase yield. Understanding the nutritional needs of tomato plants is thus fundamental to its successful cultivation. This study characterised plant growth and nutrient accumulation and export in 'Gault' and 'Pomerano' hybrid tomatoes cultivated under tropical conditions in Brazil. The experimental design was randomised blocks with four replicates. Leaf number, tissue dry weights, and nutrient accumulation were evaluated throughout the growing cycle. Plant growth was slow at the beginning of the cycle, but total accumulation of dry matter began to increase faster when 'Gault' and 'Pomerano' had 29 and 28 leaves, peaking at 767.6 and 712.5 g plant-1 , respectively, by the end of the cycle. Fruit yields were 148.5 and 122.6 t ha-1 for 'Gault' and 'Pomerano', respectively. The maximum nutrient accumulation for both hybrids at the end of the cycle was in the order K > N > Ca > S > Mg > P > Mn > Fe > Cu > Zn > B. The amounts of N, P, and K were highest in the fruit, and the amounts of Ca, Mg, and S were highest in the vegetative tissues, for both hybrids.

Analysis of Fertigation Effluents From Mini-Tomato Greenhouses and the Need for Detection of Control Points

“…Nutrient surpluses represent what plants have not used throughout the growing cycle. Among the macronutrients, phosphorus is less required (Moraes et al, 2018). For example, the hybrids 'Gault' and 'Pomerano' require 2.0 and 2.2 g plant -1 at the end of the growing cycle.…”

Nutritional status of cherry tomato with omission of macronutrients

“…For the omission of S in the nutrient solution, the variables that showed significant differences were SDM, TNF and NFM, which decreased by 23.6, 11.8 and 11.3%, respectively, in comparison to the complete treatment. S is fundamental for crops, in general, because it is a constituent of amino acids that are essential for plant growth, such as methionine and cysteine (Moraes et al, 2018). Thus, in the absence of S, cell division is affected, which limits the growth and reproductive stage of plants.…”

“…The sequence of nutrient absorption by tomato at the end of the production cycle under the omission of macronutrients, according to Moraes et al (2018), is as follows: K> N> Ca> S> Mg> P. Although studies on tomato nutrition have been carried out (Prado et al, 2011;Moraes et al, 2018;Maia et al, 2019), research on the diagnosis of nutritional deficiency with the omission of macronutrients in nutrient solution have been neglected.…”

Nutritional Accumulation for Salad and Italian Tomatoes Grown in a Protected Environment

“…In addition to the production system, the continuous launch of new hybrids, with a higher yield, ranging from 98 to 159 t ha −1 (Fayad et al, 2002;Purquerio et al, 2016;Moraes et al, 2018;Alvarenga, 2022), changes the nutritional requirements of plants.…”

“…Some information on nutrient accumulation for tomatoes in field cultivation has been reported in recent years (Purquerio et al, 2016;Diógenes et al, 2018;Moraes et al, 2018). However, cultivations carried out in a protected environment with a yield above 100 t ha −1 have no published information.…”