Distribution of nutrients in the root zone affects yield, quality and blossom end rot of tomato fruits

Studies were made of ethylene evolution by `Heinz 1350' tomato fruits from plants that had received nitrogen nutrition from ammonium or nitrate salts in soil-based media. Fruits of plants receiving ammonium nutrition had higher ammonium concentrations, higher occurrences of blossom-end rot, and higher rates of ethylene evolution than fruits from nitrate-grown plants. Fruits showing blossom-end rot had higher ammonium concentrations and higher rates of ethylene evolution than normal fruits only if the plants received ammonium nutrition. Ethylene evolution increased as fruits from nitrate-grown plants ripened but without a concurrent increase in ammonium concentrations in the fruits. Ammonium accumulation in fruits apparently induces blossom-end rot and enhances ethylene evolution, but ammonium accumulation does not appear to be a naturally occurring phenomenon in ripening fruits or in fruits that have blossom-end rot arising from other casual factors.

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Calcium concentration in tomato fruits in relation to the incidence of blossom-end rot

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9710570 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 11 (52) ◽

pp. 570 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

CR Millikan ◽

EN Bjarnason ◽

RK Osborn ◽

BC Hanger

Keyword(s):

Concentration Ratio ◽

Calcium Concentration ◽

Calcium Treatment ◽

Tomato Fruits ◽

Low Calcium ◽

Blossom End Rot ◽

Calcium And Magnesium ◽

Nutrient Solutions ◽

Sand Cultures

Tomato fruits (CV. Grosse Lisse) were grown in sand cultures irrigated with nutrient solutions containing either normal- (120-160 p.p.m. Ca) or low-calcium (40 p.p.m. Ca) levels. Data were collected from the first five trusses, and restricted to fruits arising from the first three flowers of each truss. A greater yield of fruit and fewer fruit affected by blossom-end rot (BER) were produced by the normal than the low calcium treatment. Irrespective of treatment or BER incidence, the calcium concentration was higher in the stem end than the calyx end, and the concentrations of calcium and potassium were greater in trusses 1 and 2 than 4 and 5. BER affected the largest fruit in the normal, but the smallest in the low calcium treatment. Within the same trusses affected fruit had a lower calcium concentration in the stem end than did healthy fruit. For all fruits the ranges in calcium percentage (on dry basis) recorded were : Healthy fruits-stem end 0.086-0.029, calyx end 0.057-0.018 ; affected fruits-stem end 0.072-0.022, calyx end 0.045-0.020. Differences in magnesium and potassium concentrations in stem or calyx ends between healthy and affected fruits were recorded. The K: Ca ratio was higher in affected fruits, but the incidence of BER was unrelated to the Mg : Ca ratio. For both calcium and magnesium the stem end : calyx end concentration ratio was lower in affected than healthy fruit.

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Effect of NH4-N levels and K/Ca ratios in the nutrient solution on incidence of blossom-end rot and gold specks on tomato fruits grown in rockwool

Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Food Production and Environment ◽

10.1007/978-94-009-0047-9_316 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 969-970 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Akira Nukaya ◽

Kakushi Goto ◽

Hon-gi Jang

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Solution ◽

Tomato Fruits ◽

Blossom End Rot

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Comparative effects of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial root-zone drying (PRD) on growth and cell wall peroxidase activity in tomato fruits

Scientia Horticulturae ◽

10.1016/j.scienta.2008.03.009 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 117 (1) ◽

pp. 15-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Sladjana Savić ◽

Radmila Stikić ◽

Biljana Vucelić Radović ◽

Biljana Bogičević ◽

Zorica Jovanović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Peroxidase Activity ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Root Zone ◽

Regulated Deficit Irrigation ◽

Tomato Fruits

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Effects of Uneven Vertical Distribution of Soil Salinity on Blossom-end Rot of Tomato Fruit

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci11815-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 52 (7) ◽

pp. 958-964 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sheng Chen ◽

Zhenchang Wang ◽

Zhanyu Zhang ◽

Xiangping Guo ◽

Mengyang Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Salinity ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Root Zone ◽

Tomato Fruit ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Selective Absorption ◽

Weighted Mean ◽

Blossom End Rot ◽

Salt Distribution ◽

Stem Leaf

Soil salinity influences plant growth and crop yield significantly. Former studies indicated that uneven salt distribution in the root zone could relieve salt stress. But, how uneven salt distribution influences Na+ and Ca2+ concentration in the stem, leaf, and fruit and whether this influence would bring effects on fruit blossom-end rot (BER) still needs to be further studied. Under consideration of this, pot experiment with four treatments, T1:1, T1:5, T2:4, and T3:3, was conducted by setting the upper soil layer salinity at 1‰, 1‰, 2‰, and 3‰ and the lower soil layer at salinities of 1‰, 5‰, 4‰, and 3‰, respectively. Compared with the uniform salt concentration in the root zone (T3:3 treatment), the incidence of BER in the T1:5 and T2:4 treatments decreased by 60% and 35%, respectively. The fruit Na+ concentration and Na+/Ca2+ ratio were positively correlated with the incidence of BER. The value of the upper-root selective absorption Ca2+ over Na+ (SCa/Na(upper root)) for T1:5 was 0.8 times more than that of T1:1. The results showed that the incidence of BER was positively correlated with root dry matter and SCa/Na(root) weighted mean salinity. The overall results suggested that uneven salt distribution in the root zone could promote the Ca2+ absorption, Ca2+/Na+ ratio, and selective absorption Ca2+ over Na+ and consequently decrease the incidence of BER in tomato fruit.

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