Landscaping and Garden Care

The tomato plant, to express their genetic potential for production and quality, requires very specific conditions during the different stages of development. Requires a warm climate, is a crop sensitive to frost (frost should be absent for 4 months minimum), the optimal conditions are achieved at stations 6 months without frost. Therefore, in adverse climates, should be preferred cultivation in greenhouses. For example, in plantations whose expected results are round smooth, it may occur more or less wrinkled tomatoes or deformed in the same bouquet in which two or more normal-looking fruit, which explains, because some factor found that poor pollination of flower, which did not affect the neighboring flowers. The flowers fall, declines in yields among other conditions, depend on the intensity and frequency of frost, cold, drizzle, cloudy days, etc..

a. – Effects on growth and plant development: When the seedlings are planted, the optimum soil temperature for germination is 25 º C, which in 6 days we have a total emergency. The average number of days to emerge at 10 ° C is 43, and 35 º C, 9 days. For proper growth of roots, temperatures can vary between 18 and 27 º C. For the seed, once planted, is most important soil aeration, as any compaction process slows germination. Once the seedling emerges, the temperature requirements are lower than the germination, early growth requires between 14 and 16 º C, then increased between 15 and 23 º C (night-day). It is assumed that below 10 ° C (base temperature), growth stops. The temperature plays an important role between the state of cotyledons and 2 true leaves (14 º C), resulting in thicker stems, fewer leaves before the first cluster, as well as a greater number of flowers in the first flower cluster.

The light interacts with temperature, also affecting the appearance of the first flower cluster, even though the photoperiod is not an inductive factor of flowering (day-neutral plant) requires between 1,000 and 3,000 plugs for better development, with at least 8 hours. Once transplanted tomatoes, the most common temperature (varietal differences) is 15 º C (can reach 23 º C). In any case, should remain a difference of 6 ° C between day and night.

b. – Effects on flowering and fruiting:
Under adverse weather conditions occur in the assimilation of nutrients, which determines certain imbalances that cause, in some cases, the absence of flowers, they fall or poor pollination. The flowering of tomato occurs in stages, starting from the base to reach the top of the plant, the flower buds are formed under a wide range of conditions, however, fruiting takes place within a much more limited. Abscission (separation) or cutting may occur before, during or shortly after anthesis (flowering or flowering), determining the flower drop. This phenomenon is more prevalent in indeterminate varieties (especially for crops in greenhouses). When there is a strong deficiency of nitrogen in the soil, the plant is stunted and slow development, has a high starch content and low nitrogen, it spoils the whole process, and consequently no fruiting. If the nitrogen is abundant, the plant grows quickly, the starch content is low and high nitrogen, under these conditions does not produce fruit or very little.

The fruiting of the tomato is related to a moderate vegetative growth. If conditions favor rapid vegetative growth, carbohydrates are used in the formation of new tissues and the concentration of those on the ground remains low, so while flower production is abundant, they fall without reaching fruition. Under extreme conditions of high levels of carbohydrates, as may occur when light is limited or inadequate, yet the formation of flower buds may not occur. Moreover, if conditions allow a small vegetative growth, the carbohydrates produced by leaves, exceed the requirements for the formation of new tissues, and products of photosynthesis accumulate in the plant, it produces a high concentration of carbohydrates and again, the flowers fall before fruition.

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