THE EFFECT OF THE METHOD OF SEEDLINGS RAISING AND SIZE OF POTS ON YIELD OF TWO TOMATO CULTIVARS

Because of the relatively short growing season tomatoes for processing and fresh market supply in Poland are mostly grown from transplants and the yields highly depend on the plant condition at transplanting.
The experiment was initiated in order to determine the effects of seedling raising method (pricked, without pricking) and pot size (ø 8, 10, 12cm) on quality of transplants and yield of tomato New Yorker and Szkarlatna Kula cvs.

Results of the experiment showed that pricking of seedlings as well as usage of pots 10 and 12cm in diameter influenced the quality of transplants.
Pricked plants had thicker stems, were higher and more unfolded.
Seedlings grown in pots containing higher volume of medium took up higher amounts of NO₃-N, P, K while the cultivation method had little effect on content of these macronutrients in plants.

Transplants pricked into the pots produced significantly higher total yield of fruits but differences in marketable and early yields were negligible.
The usage of 10 cm pots affected the increase of yield and advanced the time of fruit ripening while not promoting effect was observed if pots of 12 cm in diameter were used.

VII International Symposium on Timing Field Production of Vegetables

A. Biesiada, E. Kolota, M. Osinska

Lycopersicon esculentum, raising method, pot size, transplant quality, yielding

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1994.371.9