Evaluation of three commercial rooters in the production of undetermined tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in protected conditions.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the development of undetermined tomato seedlings under protected conditions, applying three rooters and a witness to increase the production of the culture in the region.

Design/methodology/ approach: it was employed through an experimental design by blocks completely at random, which consisted on four treatments belonging to each one of the blocks, where each block belonged to four unicel trays of 200 cavities of BM2 substratum, with four repetitions each one, taking 15 experimental units for treatment, making a total of 60 experimental units, having a total of 240 tomato seedlings in the whole experiment.

Results: As a result, it was obtained that the Phyto Root rooter had a great effect in the height development, stem thickness, number of leaves, aerial biomass and root ball weight, important parameters that a seedling must have for its development and growth at the transplantation moment to the field.

Study limitations/implications: The agronomic handle from the sowing is necessary to be uniform in all the treatments and the repetitions, in order to obtain better results due to the rooters effect.

Findings/ conclusions: To obtain good quality seedlings in the moment of transplantation to the field, it is recommended to the company and to the seedling producers to employ the Phyto Root treatment, due that this was the one with the best response.