Abstract

CASIERRA-POSADA, Fánor; CARDOZO, María Constanza  and  CARDENAS-HERNANDEZ, Julián F.. Growth analysis of tomato fruits (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cultivated in greenhouse. Agron. colomb. [online]. 2007, vol.25, n.2, pp.299-305. ISSN 0120-9965.

The growth patterns are quite similar in annual plants grown in an optimal environment; though, there is great variation in the magnitude of the dry weight values, symmetry of the curve, and time scale that it occupies. The growth analysis of three greenhouse-grown tomato cultivars was presented through this paper. Evaluated cultivars were Sofia, Bravona and Granitio that grew in Sutamarchán, Colombia. From bloom to harvest time, twenty fruits of each cultivar were taken weekly in order to determine dry weight, transversal and polar diameter, and total soluble solids; moreover, the absolute and relative growth rate, as well as the polar diameter / transversal diameter ratio were calculated. A regression analysis was done to obtain the growth models. The dry weight, transversal and polar diameter had a characteristic sigmoid shape. The total soluble solids decreased from the start of measurements to 29-36 time interval (days after bloom), subsequently, the values of this variable kept increasing. Relative growth rate is were strongly reduced from 8 to 22 days after bloom in Sofia and Bravona cultivars, but Granitio presented a less drastic reduction along the fruit development time. Obtained simulation outputs showed a good agreement with the observed data of fruit growth.

Keywords : relative growth rate; absolute growth rate; total soluble solids; cv. Granitio; cv. Bravona; cv. Sofía.

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