THE EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SOLUTION CONDUCTIVITY ON THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF GREENHOUSE TOMATOES

     Two fresh market tomatoes (Rondello and Concordia) were grown in a greenhouse using the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) at four different electric conductivities (EC), namely: 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 mScm^-1. Two experiments were conducted, one in the winter and the other in the summer. There were marked reduction in yield with increasing EC for the summer crop, due primarily to a reduction in fruit size, and an increase in fruit disorders. No reduction in yield was found with increasing conductivity for the winter crop, although fruit quality was found to improve with increased conductivity. Yield components, and quality attributes as well as some physiological parameters are presented to explain these results.

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