Growing short sturdy tomato seedlings to facilitate automated handling
1990
Batal, K.M. | Smittle, D.A. | Brewer, H.L. | Jones, P. | Jones, J.W. | Allen, L.H. Jr
Vegetable seedlings in automated growing and transplanting systems need to be short and sturdy to facilitate handling by machines. Ambient CO2 levels, temperature, and spacing were varied to determine their effects on growth of tomato seedlings during the first three weeks after seeding. Temperature and spacing influenced plant growth and physical characteristics more than the CO2 enrichment. Seedling heights and fresh weight were reduced more than 50% by changing day/night temperatures from 27 degrees/20 degrees C (81 degrees/68 degrees F) to 20 degrees/13 degrees C (68 degrees/55 degrees F). Doubling the space per plant reduced both shoot length and fresh weight. Elevating the CO2 level from 330 to 660 microliter/L (ppm) slightly increased plant heights. However, greater than 660 ppm CO2 increased leaf number, percent dry matter, sugar and starch, but decreased chlorophyll concentration. A combination of CO2 enrichment, 20/13 degrees day/night temperatures, and proper spacing under full sunlight appears to be an efficient method of producing good quality seedlings. Vegetable transplants grown in this way would be acceptable for use in proposed automatic handling systems.
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