Browsing by Author "Weinmann, Todd Joseph"

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    Yield Comparison of Transplanted Tomato and Pepper Plants Grown in Different Sized Cell Packs
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Weinmann, Todd Joseph
    Field experiments were conducted at Fargo, North Dakota, in 2006 and repeated at Fargo, Oakes, North Dakota, and Absaraka, North Dakota, in 2007 to compare time to harvest and yields from tomatoes (Lycopersicon escu/entum var. esculentum) and peppers (Capsicum annuum) that had been initially grown in different sized cell packs. A second objective was to determine if root manipulations to tomatoes at the time of transplanting could overcome root-bound effects of delayed establishment and reduced yields. Three tomato cultivars with differing growth or fruiting characteristics were used: 'Big Beef' an indeterminant cultivar, 'Sungem', a determinant cultivar, and 'Roma', a determinant paste cultivar, and two pepper cultivars with differing fruiting characteristics: 'Big Bertha' a green bell pepper cultivar and 'Cherry Bomb', a hot pepper cultivar were used. Two weeks after seeding, pepper and tomato seedlings were transplanted into one of three cell packs with cell volumes of 84, 137, and 287 cm3 . Seedlings were grown in cell packs in the green house before acclimating for 7 days and transplanting into a black or white plastic covered row system in the field. The second study evaluated three root manipulation treatments: dipped in auxin after one-fourth of the bottom part of the roots were removed, dipped in auxin without one-fourth of the bottom part of the roots removed, four vertical cuts to the root ball for root-bound seedlings, and untreated roots grown in 84 cm3 cells and immediately planted. Tomato seedlings grown in the 287 cm3 cell packs were visually larger than seedlings in 84 or 137 cm3 cell packs when transplanted to the field. However, all plants flowered at similar times and fruit growth did not differ. Results suggest that the three cell volumes did not influence the period between field transplanting and the first harvest or the total yield. Pepper seedlings grown in the 287 cm3 cell packs were visually larger than seedlings in 84 or 137 cm3 cell packs when transplanted to the field. With the peppers (bell and hot) the three cell volumes did not influence the period between field transplanting and the first harvest, but an increase in yield was seen with the 287 cm3 cell packs followed by the 137 and 84 cm3 cell packs respectively. None of the root manipulations altered the time from field transplant to first harvest or the total yields compared to the untreated roots. Results suggest that root manipulation to root-bound tomato seedlings when transplanting in the field will not hasten field establishment or shorten the period between transplanting and the first harvest, and will not increase yield .