| dc.description.abstract | 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 . | en_US |
