TOMATO (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM L.) SEEDLING’S ROOT PRUNING EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND STAND ESTABLISHMENT RATE UNDER SALINE CONDITIONS

An abundant number of tomato seeds were sown in individual plugs filled with peat compost.
Twenty-five days after sowing, 1/3 of total number of plants was unplugged.
Two-thirds of their root system was removed by mechanical pruning and pruned seedlings (ps 1) were subsequently transplanted into similar plugs.
One week later the same procedure was applied to another 1/3 of plants (ps 2). Rests of the plants (nps) were continuously grown in their initial plugs.
Forty-five day after sowing, randomly selected plants of each group (nps, ps 1 and ps 2) were transplanted into individual larger pots filled with vermiculite, each divided in three equal subgroups.
In the following 20 days all plants were periodically irrigated with equal amounts of the same nutrient solution, but differing from each other by the quantity of NaCl added in the nutrient solution.
The stand establishment rate after transplanting, defined as the relative growths rate (RGR) and its components; net assimilation rate (NAR) and leaf area ratio (LAR), were computed.
Compared to root pruned (ps 1 and ps 2) a higher plant dry matter and larger leaf area per plant was recorded for non pruned seedlings (nps). Despite that, a significantly higher relative growth rate was found for root pruned seedlings during the stand establishment period, achieved due to higher net assimilation rate (NAR). The stand establishment rate of transplanted seedlings was reduced due to the increase of nutrient solution salinity, but still significantly higher values were recorded in case of root pruned seedlings.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Greenhouse 2010 and Soilless Cultivation

A. Balliu, G. Sallaku , F. Elezi

tomato seedlings, root pruning, relative growth rate, stand establishment rate, salinity

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.927.49