ISHS Acta Horticulturae 292: Recent Advances in Horticultural Science in the Tropics
THE USE OF COCONUT POTTING MIX IN THE SOILLESS CULTIVATION OF TOMATOES |
| Authors: | R.M. Raja Harun, A. Muhammad |
| Abstract:
An investigation was carried out to observe the effects of four volumes (12, 8, 6 and 4 litres) of a commercially available coconut potting mix in bolster bags, each containing two plants, on the growth and productivity of tomatoes, cultivar “Counter” in a drip irrigation system. This experiment was conducted in a plastic house at the Hydroponic Unit, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM), Genting Highlands. At the end of the experiment, leaf, stem and root dry weights did not differ between the treatments. Yield from the five trusses (3.72 kg plant1) was the highest from plants in 12 litres of substrate declining linearly for plants in 4 litres of substrate. This yield is similar to that previously obtained in a deep culture system using the same tomato variety. With the quality of growth obtained, it is anticipated that tomato plants in this coconut potting mix could be kept for at least six months producing 15 trusses, as in the deep culture system, with a total yield of 8 kg plant-1 crop-1. With two crops per year a total yield of at least 300 t ha-1 year-1 could be expected. | |
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