Cherry tomato production in substrate and without foliar application of calcium

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20873/jbb.uft.cemaf.v13n3.20246

Keywords:

management, plant nutritional, soilless culture, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme

Abstract

Cherry tomatoes are a vegetable that has gained space in the market and has high added value. Cultivation outside the soil brings several advantages to tomato production, and in this system nutritional management is a highlight, as the plant depends entirely on the nutrients that are supplied via fertilization. Calcium is a fundamental nutrient for the development of tomato fruits, and due to its immobility in the plant's phloem it is necessary to supply it via the leaves; however, the response to foliar applications of calcium in cherry tomatoes may vary, depending on the cultivar used and the climatic conditions of the cultivation site, which may interfere with the absorption of this nutrient. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of different substrates and foliar application of calcium on the production of cherry tomatoes outside the soil, in a protected environment. The experiment was carried out in Chapecó-SC, in an agricultural greenhouse, in a randomized block design, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme (substrates x with or without foliar application of calcium). Cherry tomato seeds were used. The substrates used were: Carolina Soil®, Mecplant® and Garden Plus®, and OrganoPlus®. The following were evaluated: stem diameter, main stem height, number of flowers/plant, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, fruit productivity/plant. The results obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and comparison of means using the Tukey test (p<0.05). It can be concluded that the Mecplant substrate was the substrate that provided the greatest initial growth of cherry tomato plants grown in pots in a protected environment. The application of foliar calcium had little effect on stem growth and initial flower formation of cherry tomato plants in pots in a protected environment, which varied depending on the substrate used. The Organoplus and Rhico substrates proved to be unsuitable for the production of cherry tomatoes in pots in a protected environment.

Author Biographies

Alessandra De Marco, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul

Acadêmica do curso de Agronomia da UFFS campus Chapecó

Giséli Oliveira de Souza

Acadêmica do curso de Agronomia UFFS campus Chapecó

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Journal of Biotechnology and Biodiversity

Published

2025-10-02

How to Cite

Silva, V. N., De Marco, A., & Souza, G. O. de. (2025). Cherry tomato production in substrate and without foliar application of calcium. Journal of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.20873/jbb.uft.cemaf.v13n3.20246