GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG TOMATO PLANTS UNDER NITROGEN DEFICIENCY

J. Suniaga Quijada, M. Bonafous, Y. Dumas
Reducing fertilizer supply is currently a developing trend. However, crop management with low or late N supply may lead to N deficiency. The present study is aimed at analysing the immediate consequences of a temporary N deficiency at the start of the tomato reproductive phase. Seedlings of the UC 82 processing cultivar were directly grown in 10 1 sand-filled pots under greenhouse conditions. Plants were watered daily with a complete solution (N) of 6 meq N 1-1 until the first truss stage. Then three treatments (N), (1/3 N) and (0 N) were applied for 12 days. Nitrogen shortage resulted in reduced leaf elongation from day 4 and decreased shoot growth rate from day 6 for (0 N), and from day 6 and day 12 respectively for (1/3 N). Only (0 N) yielded a smaller rate of truss elaboration and growth. As early as day 2, the content of different nitrogen forms present in the various plant parts decreased with the N solution concentration. Nitrogen deficiency led to changes in leaf colour, a decrease in leaf chlorophyll content, an increase in leaf phenol content, and abnormal starch accumulation in the chloroplasts, whose structure was disturbed. The rapid response of tomato plants was due to their small nitrogen reserves.
Suniaga Quijada, J., Bonafous, M. and Dumas, Y. (1992). GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG TOMATO PLANTS UNDER NITROGEN DEFICIENCY. Acta Hortic. 301, 159-164
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.301.17
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.301.17

Acta Horticulturae