GREENHOUSE TOMATO PRODUCTION IN A TRANSPORTABLE, POTTED PLANT CROPPING SYSTEM

The tomato, grown as a single cluster crop, resembles a potted plant crop and can be adapted to a transportable table system.
Preliminary data indicate that a high density, sequential planting (90,000 plants/ha) can be managed to produce a continuous yield on a predictable schedule throughout the year.
Using supplemental HPS lighting (100 micromoles/M²S¹ for 18 hours/day) a salable yield of 9.3 kg/M² was produced during the midwinter cropping period 28 December to 18 January 1984. The unlit control crop produced 3.9 kg/M² salable fruit during this period of low natural radiation.
Using an eight-week cropping cycle, transplant to final harvest, five crops can be produced per unit area of greenhouse in the 10-month period, 1 October to 30 July.
A transportable table system will increase the utilization of greenhouse space to 90%. Transporting tables to a centralized work station will facilitate the performance of laborous plant operations such as transplanting, pruning, pollinating and harvesting.

I International Symposium on Mechanization of Vegetable Production

R.J. McAvoy, G.A. Giacomelli

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.187.14