ISHS Acta Horticulturae 98: Symposium on Research on Recirculating Water Culture
JERSEY TOMATO TRIALS ON TEMPERATURE, DIRECT SEEDING AND NUTRITION |
| Author: | H.M. Kitchener |
| Abstract:
The reduction of the positive night temperature in growing glasshouse tomatoes in Jersey from 15°C to 10°C with a heated solution at 20°C has in 1978 produced a yield of higher tonnage and increased quality of fruit. Picking, however, was delayed initially by 10 days but by mid-May similar weights of fruit had been picked and the apparent saving to the grower of fuel per hectare was between 80 000 and 120 000 litres of oil, depending on aspect and type of glasshouse. In 1979, direct sowing at 10°C night and 20° solution produced a high yield of tomatoes by the end of June, and at 15° tomatoes propagated in the traditional manner of 11 cm pots, grown in NFT, produced a slightly smaller yield yet similar fruit quality in a similar period of time. The crop suffered at the fourth and fifth leaf stage from iron deficiency and has suffered from phosphate deficiency during the growing season. Quality of fruit was better with a higher conductivity of 2 400 micromhos as against 1 200 micromhos. | |
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