Articles
Effect of temperature on tomato fruit growth: a modelling-based proposal for optimal temperature distribution within heated greenhouse
Article number
1296_7
Pages
49 – 56
Language
English
Abstract
Tomato production within soilless heated greenhouses is a competitive sector known for its high quality production and performance.
Growers aim to improve their competitiveness through fine control of climatic parameters.
Recently, multiple studies highlighted that temperature and humidity are distributed heterogeneously inside the greenhouse, proposing settings to master this heterogeneity.
However, none of these studies incorporates plant and fruit physiology.
Taking into account this climatic distribution and crop management (high-wire training system), fruit growth and development endure various climate: during its 8 weeks of growth and development, the fruit will undergo the vertical distribution of temperature but also meteorological variations.
This study intends to describe the impacts of these changes on pericarp growth.
Tomato fruit growth model developed by Fanwoua et al. (2013) is used.
Data-based mechanistic models of fruit physiology are perfect to link greenhouse (micro) climate and fruit growth through the consideration of degree-hours endured by the fruit.
In this innovative work, we describe pericarp development (cell growing and division) using initial fruit architecture, developmental parameters related to tomato genetic and cell age expressed in degree-hours as inputs.
With final cell mass as output of the model, we highlight temperatures optimized for the various growth and development phases of a fruit (fruit set, cell division, cell endoreduplication, cell growth, ripening). Transferring modelling results to practical applications leads us to propose ideal climate for high quality tomato fruit and bigger fruit mass considering three major phases: fruit set, growth and ripening.
Therefore, vertical gradient must be controlled to reach these optimums and applied methods are discussed in front of constraints and strengths of modern greenhouses.
Growers aim to improve their competitiveness through fine control of climatic parameters.
Recently, multiple studies highlighted that temperature and humidity are distributed heterogeneously inside the greenhouse, proposing settings to master this heterogeneity.
However, none of these studies incorporates plant and fruit physiology.
Taking into account this climatic distribution and crop management (high-wire training system), fruit growth and development endure various climate: during its 8 weeks of growth and development, the fruit will undergo the vertical distribution of temperature but also meteorological variations.
This study intends to describe the impacts of these changes on pericarp growth.
Tomato fruit growth model developed by Fanwoua et al. (2013) is used.
Data-based mechanistic models of fruit physiology are perfect to link greenhouse (micro) climate and fruit growth through the consideration of degree-hours endured by the fruit.
In this innovative work, we describe pericarp development (cell growing and division) using initial fruit architecture, developmental parameters related to tomato genetic and cell age expressed in degree-hours as inputs.
With final cell mass as output of the model, we highlight temperatures optimized for the various growth and development phases of a fruit (fruit set, cell division, cell endoreduplication, cell growth, ripening). Transferring modelling results to practical applications leads us to propose ideal climate for high quality tomato fruit and bigger fruit mass considering three major phases: fruit set, growth and ripening.
Therefore, vertical gradient must be controlled to reach these optimums and applied methods are discussed in front of constraints and strengths of modern greenhouses.
Publication
Authors
E. Legast, E. Brajeul, V. Truffault
Keywords
tomato, heated greenhouse, climate heterogeneity, crop management, modelling, fruit growth
Groups involved
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
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