La Técnica: Revista de las Agrociencias (Jul 2022)

Emergence and initial growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in different substrates

  • Eduar Josue Díaz-Barrios,
  • Adriana Beatriz Sánchez-Urdaneta,
  • Leonardo Enrique Avellán-Vásquez,
  • Sandra Tatiana Estévez-Chica,
  • Dianelis del Carmen Sánchez-Urdaneta

DOI
https://doi.org/10.33936/latecnica.v27i2.4326
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 2
pp. 75 – 81

Abstract

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Substrate is one of the fundamental factors in tomato seedling production. The emergence and initial growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in different substrates was evaluated. The research was carried out at the Maranatha Educational Unit, located in El Carmen, Manabí, Ecuador. Polystyrene culture trays with 50 cells (volume 300 cm3) were used. The seeds used were of the Floradel variety. Three treatments (substrates) were established: agricultural soil (black soil, T1), cocoa harvest residues (cocoa soil, T2) and wood cuttings (sawdust, T3), with three replicates, each with 50 plants, in a totally randomized block treatment design, each tray corresponding to one treatment. The variables evaluated were emergence (%) and seedling height (cm), and in the last sampling, stem diameter (mm) was measured. Seedling emergence averaged 72%. T1 showed 83% emergence and seedling height of 8.13 cm and 2.45 mm stem diameter. It was concluded that the black soil generated the greatest development of the tomato seedlings, presenting the greatest height and diameter, even though they did not have the greatest emergence.

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