Production of San Marzano tomato seedlings submitted to mixed fertilizer rates and application forms

Abstract

The vigor of commercial tomato seedlings is associated with their nutrition. A well-developed seedling has a robust root system, a well-lignified stem and chlorophyll leaves which results in high yielding plants. The study was designed to evaluate rates and forms of application of mixed fertilizer (MF) in the production of San Marzano tomato seedlings. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg MF × solid and liquid forms). The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications. The seedlings were evaluated at 26 days after sowing regarding the variables: stem diameter (SBD), number of leaves (NL), plant height (PH), root length (RSL), shoot dry matter (SDM), root dry matter (RDM), total dry matter (TDM), and Dickson quality index (DQI). The SBD, NL, PH, RSL, SDM, RDM, and TDM obtained the most satisfactory results with the rates: 115, 190, 148.83, 194.83, 162.50, 125, and 180 mg plant^-1, respectively, solid or liquid application is recommended. Considering the higher vigor of the plants with DQI of 0.0071, the rate of 125 mg plant^-1 is indicated for solid or liquid application.