Articles
THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS METHODS OF PROPAGATION ON THE TIMING OF TOMATO PRODUCTION
The following factors were evaluated: various methods of plant propagation – including direct sowing of seeds and the age of transplants grown under glass or plastic cover, two densities of plant population in the field, and standard vs. early maturing varieties.
The results indicated that under average climatic conditions in central Poland direct sowing of seeds into the field was unsuccessful.
The older the transplants used, the higher the yield of marketable tomatoes.
Direct sowing of seeds under plastic cover and using 3–4 weeks old seedlings gave satisfactory results in average years.
This method was very disappointing in 1974 when the temperatures for May, June and July were 2.2°C lower than the long term average.
High density spacing of plants, namely 90,000 per hectare, did not compensate for yield losses due to the use of young seedlings.
Extra early cultivars developed in the Genetics and Breeding Institute of the University of Agriculture in Warsaw raised the possibility for developing more efficient methods of field tomato production.