The effect of foliar nutrition on yield of greenhouse tomatoes and quality of the crop

Tomatoes grown in traditional mediums such as peat moss are usually supplied with essential nutrients by preplant fertilization and in the later growth stages by top dressing application to the root zone. According to the data from literature the efficient method of nutrient supply during the intensive stage of growth may be estimated as by foliar spraying. In the greenhouse experiment conducted in 1998–1999 a preplant fertilization by multicomponential fertilizer MIS-4 was applied to peat moss growing medium in full (4 kg per m³) and half (2 kg per m³) of recommended rate. Supplemental fertilization during the growing period was provided to the root zone or by using liquid multicomponential fertilizers Ekolist S and Mikrosol U in 5 sprays conducted at two week intervals. Results of the study proved that advantageous effect of foliar tomato nutrion grown in eat substrate was observed only in treatments with restricted supply of fertilizers to the growing medium. The maximum fruit yield was received from plots provided by the reduced preplant MIS-4 dose to 50 % of recommended rate combined with foliar sprays by Ekolist S. Such system of fertilization enhanced the marketable yield of fruit by 9.8 % and early yield by 11.3 % as compared to that obtained with preplant and top dressing soil application. Foliar nutrion did not change dry matter and vitamin C content and increased total and reducing sugars accumulation in tomato fruits.