Biomass and nutrient partitioning in tomatoes in relation to air vapour pressure deficit and plant fruit load
2003
Leonardi, C. | Gary, C. | Guichard, S. | Bertin, N.
In order to assess whether or not Mediterranean summer conditions may induce differences in the distribution of dry matter and macronutrients, the response of tomato plants to air vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and plant fruit load was studied. Plants, thinned to 3 or 6 fruits per truss, were grown in two compartments, one at a VPD below 1.5 kPa, the other without VPD control. At the end of July the influence of vpd and the effects of the aforementioned conditions were assessed, by evaluating the dry matter and macronutrient content in different epigeous organs at different stages of development. Variation of epigeous biomass due to air VPD was higher when expressed on a fresh biomass basis, whereas slight variations were observed when expressed on a dry weight basis. The fraction of dry matter allocated into fruits was not influenced by air vpd, although significant interaction was observed between air humidity and plant fruit load. The partitioning of macronutrient in the fruits was as expected significantly affected by plant fruit load. Plant fruit load influenced calcium content both in the leaves and in the fruits, whereas air vpd, although not always unequivocally, influenced phosphorous and calcium content in the fruits and potassium, calcium and magnesium content in the leaves.
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