This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gent, M. P. N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gent, M. P. N. Agricola Articles by Gent, M. P. N.

Articles

Carbohydrate Level and Growth of Tomato Plants

I. The Effect of Carbon Dioxide Enrichment and Diurnally Fluctuating Temperatures

Department of Forestry and Horticulture, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut 06504

To what extent can the influence of environment on greenhouse tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) be explained by a linear response of the growth rate to carbohydrate level? To answer this question, young tomato plants were transplanted in January and March and grown for one-month periods under natural light either with or without CO₂ enrichment to 1000 microliters per liter and either under a constant minimum temperature of 15°C or a minimum temperature that fluctuated between 20°C for 12 hours including the photoperiod and 10°C for the remaining 12 hours. The carbohydrate levels were measured for plants under all growth conditions at several times in the diurnal cycle.

At the average irradiance in January, 2.3 megajoules per square meter per day, plants under CO₂ enrichment grew 15% faster and had, on average, total nonstructural carbohydrate levels 27 milligrams per gram greater and soluble carbohydrates 3 milligrams per gram greater at all hours of the day than did plants grown under ambient CO₂. Plants grown under fluctuating diurnal temperature grew slightly faster and had total nonstructural carbohydrate levels on average 8 milligrams per gram greater than plants grown under a more constant temperature. At the average irradiance in March-April, 4.3 megajoules per square meter per day, growth and carbohydrate level increased with CO₂ enrichment under the control temperature regime but not under fluctuating temperatures. Plants in all growth regimens grew faster than in January.

Over all plantings and growth regimens, relative growth rates were more highly correlated to total nonstructural carbohydrate levels than they were to irradiance, CO₂, or temperature.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. P.N. Gent Density and Duration of Shade Affect Water and Nutrient Use in Greenhouse Tomato J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci., July 1, 2008; 133(4): 619 - 627. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. P.N. Gent and Y.-Z. Ma Mineral Nutrition of Tomato under Diurnal Temperature Variation of Root and Shoot Crop Sci., November 1, 2000; 40(6): 1629 - 1636. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]