Articles
GROWTH ANALYSIS OF TOMATO PLANTS UNDER TWO LIGHT-TEMPERATURE REGIMES
We compared a Control glasshouse (Treatment 1 : non shading, setpoints at 25° C day, 15° C night temperatures) to a "Cool-Shaded" one (treatment 2 : 30 % light reduction, setpoints 20° C d., 10° C n.).
The raw data of growth show increasing differences between treatments for all measured parameters ; but the growth analysis parameters show that the actual differences in growth ability occur mainly during the first part of plant growth, though the effect on total dry weight are evident only later.
The morphological ratios show no difference between treatments as long as fruit growth is not significant.
The potential yield of the two treatments appears quite similar, but its achievement in the cooler treatment would require a precise temperature control.
Thus, growth analysis was necessary to show that the main effect of treatments on growth was in early plant life, and that the growth balance was quite unaffected by the treatments.