ISHS Acta Horticulturae 190: Symposium on Tomato Production on Arid Land
ACCUMULATION OF CALCIUM BY TOMATOES IN RELATION TO FRUIT AGE *) |
| Authors: | A.M. El-Gizawy, P. Adams, M.H. Adatia |
| Abstract:
Tomato fruit grown in NFT and in peat were sampled at different ages (11–66 days after anthesis) and the calcium content was determined. The total calcium content per fruit increased with age from 0.1–0.3 mg after 11 days to 3.5–4.0 mg after 66 days, and was highly correlated with both fresh and dry weights (r = 0.96–0.99xxx). The rate of accumulation of calcium was generally greatest between 22 and 55 days after anthesis, the response being in the form of a sigmoid curve. The pattern of accumulation was essentially the same for fruit grown in either rooting medium. The calcium content (%) of the dry matter declinded markedly between 11 and 22 days after anthesis, which may explain why the young fruit are very susceptible to blossom-end rot. | |
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