Comparison and Evaluation of Tomato Growth Models Based on Different Drivers

Abstract

Simulating growth processes of greenhouse crops under different environmental factors is one of the important means for planning cultivation and predicting yield in greenhouse production. Tomatoes are main greenhouse plants in northern China, characterized by high nutritional value and strong adaptability to cultivation. Clarifying the quantitative relationship between the growth indicators of greenhouse tomatoes and microclimate environmental factors is of great significance for improving the economic benefits. Utilizing environmental factors and various growth indicators of tomatoes, Logistic growth models are constructed by taking accumulated radiation, effective accumulated temperature, and suitability index as independent variables, and different growth indicators of tomatoes as dependent variables. Subsequently, models are validated using independent data. By comparing the precision of three models in simulating different tomato growth indicators, advantages and disadvantages of each model are analyzed to select the optimal model for different stages of tomato development. It provides a more precise theoretical basis for meteorological services and tomato yield prediction. Results show that greenhouse tomatoes are not sensitive to light during the flowering period. Therefore, choosing the accumulated temperature method to establish a logistic model yields the best simulation of the number of flowers. In the second inflorescence of tomatoes, the limit value of the number of flowers is 5.4; The accumulated radiation required to reach this limit is 146.6 mol·m-2, the effective accumulated temperature is 73.3 ℃, and the suitability index is 15.1. Main meteorological factors affecting the number of fruit sets in tomatoes are light, temperature, and humidity. Therefore, using the suitability method to establish a logistic model achieves the highest accuracy in simulating this. The maximum number of fruit sets in the second inflorescence of tomatoes is 5.0; the accumulated radiation required to reach this limit is 146.9 mol·m-2, the effective accumulated temperature is 47.1 ℃ and the suitability index is 14.6. Tomato fruit growth is mainly related to photosynthetically active radiation and temperature; therefore, choosing the accumulated radiation method provides the highest precision in simulating tomato fruit growth. The maximum transverse diameter of the tomato fruit is 51.6 mm, requiring accumulated radiation, effective accumulated temperature, and suitability index of 230.0 mol·m-2, 69.6 ℃, and 18.8. The maximum longitudinal diameter of the tomato fruit is 74.9 mm, requiring accumulated radiation, effective accumulated temperature, and suitability index of 252.0 mol·m-2, 69.6 ℃, and 18.8, respectively. Overall, the effective accumulated temperature model has fewer parameters and is simple and convenient to calculate, showing significant effectiveness in simulating the non-light-sensitive developmental stages of crops. The accumulated radiation method has higher accuracy, but involves a complex calculation process and greater difficulty in data acquisition. On the contrary, selecting the suitability method, which involves relatively simple data acquisition and incorporates more environmental factors, for simulation can also achieve relatively accurate results, making it more cost-effective in practical applications.

Keywords

• photothermal product
• accumulated temperature
• suitability