The effect of the mode of plant formation on the tomato yield components in plastic houses

Abstract

During two tomato production seasons the effect of decapitation, different ways of plant formation and effects of cultivars-hybrids on the early tomato production in plastic houses without additional heating, was studied The experiment was performed with four replications, using four hybrids from different groups of ripening, one being of semi-determinate type of growth (Balcan) and three hybrids of indeterminate type of stem growth (Mi-10, Luna, Lido). During the experiment, the plants were grown and pinched in the same manner in four variants. Plant formation in 4+0 and 5+0 variants occurred on the one stem only, on the main stem which was decapitated over the fourth and the fifth truss. In 4+2 and 5+1 variants, the plants were formed on two stems, main and lateral. The main stem was decapitated over the fourth and fifth truss, and lateral stems over the first and the second truss. In view of yield, different hybrids responded differently all through investigations. Of the four hybrids, Balcan hybrid achieved the highest early yield of 85.9 t/ha on the average, grown in 4+2 plant forming variation on two stems. The highest total yields were achieved by the hybrids of later ripening group - Lido (on the average of 124.5 t/ha), then Luna hybrid (on the average of 117.1 t/ha), grown in 5+1 plant forming variation on the two stems, with the main stem  decapitated over the fifth, and the lateral over the first truss.