SEASONAL PRODUCTIVITY OF TOMATO (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM MILL.) GROWN IN RECIRCULATING NUTRIENT SOLUTION CULTURE DURING WINTER AND SPRING IN THE EAST MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF SPAIN.

Vegetative growth and reproductive development as well as crop performance and nutrient content of tomato plants cv. "Marmande VRT" sown in November and grown under protected conditions in nutrient film culture or in soil have been compared throughout the growing season.
Both plant growth rate after transplanting and fruit growth rate were higher in the plants grown in solution culture and brought about a reduction in the transplanting-first anthesis period and an increase in the earliness of the yield.
Crop production in plants grown in NFT was high from March to May whereas the soil grown plants comparatively produced a lower yield over the same period.
Nevertheless, during June and July quite the reverse occurred, the higher yield in the soil grown crop being attributable to greater number of fruits and larger fruit size.
The higher growth and development of the crop in NFT culture during the first months after transplanting is disccused in relation to the average levels of nutrients maintained in leaf tissue which were significantly higher for all major elements except for calcium when compared to the crop grown in soil.

Symposium on Protected Cultivation of Solanacea in Mild Winter Climates

V. Noguera, M. Abad, F. Armengol, A. Serrano, A.C. Garcia-Codoñer

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.191.19