Stand Establishment of Fluid-drilled Tomato in Rye and Wheat Tillage Systems

Abstract

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in conventional tillage (CT), rye (Secale cereale L.) mulch no tillage (RNT), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) mulch no tillage (WNT). Either germinated seeds (GS) or raw seeds (RS) were fluid drilled on several dates in 1981 and 1982. Tomato stands in no tillage (NT) generally were equal to or higher than in CT, and stands improved with later plantings in each year. Plant stands were unaffected by GS and RS. Time to 50% emergence (T50) was up to 4 days less in NT than in CT and 2 to 3 days less from GS than RS. Yields with CT were twice as high as those with NT for early planting dates. Yields decreased in CT with successive planting dates to levels equal to NT plantings. Use of GS increased fruit yields as compared to RS, regardless of the planting date.