The Effect of Electrical Conductivity on Fruit Growth Pattern in Hydroponically Grown Tomatoes

Abstract

Osmotic stress enhances fruit quality, including the dry matter content, in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). This study aimed at providing further insight into the precision control of fruit yield and quality on the long-term moderate osmotic stress conditions in tomato fruit production. We compared the growth pattern between fruits of two cultivars, typical Japanese and Dutch cultivars, under two different nutrient concentrations (2.3 and 5.0 dS·m−1) to understand the effect of electrical conductivity (EC) on dry mass and water content of fruits. The experiment was performed with a rockwool bag culture system in a controlled greenhouse. Increasing EC resulted in an approximately 20% decrease in fruit yield and a 0.5–1% increase in fruit dry matter content in both cultivars. This yield reduction was not caused by the fruit number, but by an approximately 25% decrease in individual fresh fruit weight. Non-linear models were used to describe the changes in dry matter content, water content, and dry weight of tomato fruit as a function of cumulative temperature. The decay rate of dry matter content in the fruit decreased with high EC treatments in the Japanese cultivar. The points at which the rates of changes in water and dry weight increased the in fruit were around 585 and 480 °C-days after anthesis, respectively, under the low EC condition. Rates of water increase in the fruit were changed by high EC treatment, while the shifts were opposite with respect to the cultivars. Dry weight increase in the fruit was not affected by EC treatment. Collectively, our findings clarify the effect of EC on the fruit growth characteristics of Japanese and Dutch tomato cultivars, and provide new insights into the yield of high-Brix tomato cultivation.