Tomato plants were grown in substrate in a greenhouse at Departamento de Fitotecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, to determine the effect of five fertilizer levels on dry matter accumulation of vegetative plant parts and fruits. Three experiments were done, in autumn-winter/1997, spring-summer/1997 and autumn-winter/1998, using hybrids Diva, Monte Carlo and Saladette, respectively. The following quantities of fertilizers were used as control, in g/plant, supplied once a week to each plant: KNO3, 4.0; Ca(NO3)2, 6.3; superphosphate (20% P2O5), 1.5; MgSO4, 3.0. Micronutrients were added by 0.13ml of an iron chelate (5% Fe) and 0,7ml of a commercial mixture. In experiment 1, quantities of fertilizers of T1 were equal to that of the reference, but T2 and T3 were established by multiplying the quantities from T1 by 1.15 and 1.3, respectively. In experiments 2 and 3, quantities of T1 were multiplied by 0.6 ;1.15 and 1.7 in treatments T1, T2 and T3, respectively. For experimental design, plants of each hybrid were plotted in three blocks, with three rows and 35 plants each block, all plants of a row receiving once a week the same quantities of fertilizers by fertigation. The dry matter accumulation of vegetative plant parts and fruits was determined at the stage when the first fruits begun to ripe. Significant differences in dry matter accumulation of both vegetative parts and fruits among treatments were not observed, in all experiments.
Lycopersicon esculentum; yield; nutrients; fertigation
