PLANT RESPONSE OF HYDROPONICALLY GROWN TOMATO TO BACTERIZATION

Closed growing systems are considered to inhabit a higher risk for spread of plant pathogens and for accumulation of organic compounds potentially phytotoxic to the crop.
Microbial stabilization of closed growing systems is suggested as a prophylactic measure.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of two different multiple strain treatments on yield and growth performance of tomato grown in a closed hydroponic growing system, using deep flow technique.
Rockwool cubes were bacterized before sowing and transplantation with cocktail 1 (Pseudomonas fluorescens 5.014, Burkholderia cepacia 8.002, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 18.013) and cocktail 2 (P. fluorescens 5.014, S. maltophilia 18.013, an unidentified gram-positive strain 19.018), respectively.
For the control treatment, growing medium was inoculated with sterile Ringer solution.
Plant growth and yield was monitored from April to October.
Tomato plants in the bacterized plots developed more rapidly compared to the non-treated control, both regarding the number of leaves and the number of unfolded flowers.
No difference was found in shoot length or number of leaves beneath the first truss.
Regarding the effect on fruit production, cocktail 1 turned out to be detrimental to yield due to lower fruit weight.
Cocktail 2, however, promoted yield performance as a consequence of both increased number of fruit and fruit weight.

International Symposium on Growing Media and Hydroponics

B.W. Alsanius, U.E. Gertsson

Burkholderia cepacia, closed growing system, deep-flow technique, fruit size, multiple strain-treatment, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, PGPR, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.644.78