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- Author or Editor: I. E. Widder x
- Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
Abstract
Determinant cultivars ‘VF 145B-7879’ and ‘VF 109’ of processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) develop smaller root systems under field conditions with less root proliferation particularly below 60 cm than semideterminant fresh market cultivars, ‘Early Pak’ and ‘Pearson’. Following fruit set, K concentration in shoots of ‘VF 145’ and ‘VF 109’ decreased from about 4% to below 2% resulting in K deficiency symptoms, whereas no deficiency symptoms were observed in ‘Early Pak’ and ‘Pearson’. The data suggest that the K deficiency condition is due to the inability of the relatively small root systems of the determinant tomato cultivars to absorb K at a rate sufficient to meet the demands of the concentrated fruit set. ‘VF 145’ and ‘VF 109’ compensate for the stress condition by translocating K out of leaves and stems and into fruit as evidenced by a negative rate of accumulation of K in the shoots. They also partition a higher percentage of absorbed K into fruit rather than into continued vegetative growth than ‘Early Pak’ and ‘Pearson’.