Articles
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOMATO ‘Cal j’
Population was 66 000 plants/ha and five planting dates were sampled.
Cultural practices were the standard under irrigation in the area.
The final sizes of individual canopies were: total height (with leaves) 98 ± 7 cm (x ± s), width within row 122 ± 10 cm, width between rows 152 ± 11 cm and diameter of the sympodium at the ground level 14 ± 0.6 mm.
The average number of leaves in the end of the cropping cycle was 12 of which the three bottom ones senesced.
The flowering period could be divided in two phases: the first, also the most important in relation to the final yield, with flower arrangement around the mainstem, disposed like a crown in internal position between the 5th and 8th true leaf; the second with flowers disposed in terminal position.
In the end of the cropping cycle the total number of flowers per plants was 86 ± 11 of which 32 ± 11 had aborted around 40% of the total of flowers.
Final number of fruits was 38 ± 8 per plant.
The fruit cover was fairly good, with 2.9 ± 1.2 per cent of sunscalded plus sunburned fruits in relation to the total yield.
Regarding the ripening, the first red fruits waited well by the new ones, and the percentage of rotten fruits was low (4.7 ± 1.4 % of the total yield) although ripe fruits were susceptible to fruit diseases after September rains.
Ripe fruits had 5.3 ± 0.4 cm of length and 4.4 ± 0.4 cm of diameter.
The number of red fruits per kilo was 18 ± 2, roughly 55 g per fruit.
The cropping cycle from seeding to the harvest ranged between 187 and 134 days and between 2 248 and 2 055 degree-days of growth (base 6°C), respectively for planting dates from February to May.
Growth and development of the tomato ‘Cal j’ is discussed in relation to cooler (1978) and warmer (1976) seasons.