Assessing the Growth, Yield, and Biochemical Composition of Greenhouse Cherry Tomatoes with Special Emphasis on the Progressive Growth Report (PGR).

Abstract

Abstract The growth of plants is intricately influenced by interconnected biochemical and physiological activities throughout different phases, in response to environmental conditions. This study exploresthe impact of greenhouse climate on the growth, yield, and biochemistry of winter-grown cherry tomatoes (Cheramy F1). Climatic conditions ranged from a minimum of 10.5°C to the highest of 41.3°C (average 21.22°C) temperature during the vegetative stage and from 8.2°C to 32.3°C (average 20.89 °C) during the fruit-bearing stage, with an average CO2 concentration fluctuated within the range of 385.61 ppm to 510.30 ppm and an average light intensity of 94.62 to 240.45 W/m². W/m². This study assessed various growth parameters, such as plant Height, leaf growth, stem diameter, leaf spacing, leaf count, leaf area, and inflorescence count per plant. The key results of this study revealed the Progressive Growth Report (PGR), predicting daily potential growth. Rates: plant height (2.86 to 3.81 cm/day), mature old leaf growth (0.003988 m2/day), middle younger leaf growth (0.008733 m2/day), top nascent leaf growth (0.010722 m2/day), three to five leaves per week and one inflorescence per week. Additionally, accidental observations were noted. unusual plant growth and yield responses due to varied plant postures in the greenhouse. A non-significant interaction was found between fruit keeping quality (Shelf days), fruit height, fruit diameter, and inflorescence number. The results of this study offer valuable insights for optimizing greenhouse operations, aiming to improve cherry tomato yields and quality while fostering environmental sustainability. An analysis of variance was used to statistically analyze the presented results at a confidence level of p < 0.05.