Intumescence Response by Tomato Plants Grown in a Greenhouse or Indoors Using Two Types of Soilless Culture Systems

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to characterize intumescence injury of three susceptible tomato cultivars grown in a greenhouse or indoors using two types of soilless culture systems. Plants of cultivars Maxifort, Camaro, and Patio were grown in either an indoor environment with broadband white and red light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures providing a daily light integral (DLI) of 12.7 mol·m−2·day−1 [photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 220 ± 3 µmol·m−2·s−1 for 16 h·d−1] or in a glass-glazed greenhouse with supplemental lighting provided by high-pressure sodium lamps that delivered a PPFD of ∼150 µmol·m−2·s−1. Plants were grown using deep-water culture hydroponic systems or containers with a peat-based substrate. The growing environment had a larger effect on intumescence incidence and severity than the growing system, likely due to differences in ultraviolet radiation (100 to 400 nm), but other factors such as day/night temperature and relative humidity (RH), could have affected the response. Across cultivars, the probability of developing intumescence was higher indoors (≥91%) than in the greenhouse. Indoor-grown plants also developed symptoms of the disorder from 2 to 6 days earlier than those in the greenhouse. Similarly, intumescence incidence was higher in plants from all cultivars grown indoors than in the greenhouse, but differences between the two environments were generally greater for Patio and Camaro than for Maxifort, which was the most susceptible cultivar. Greenhouse conditions were more conducive to active plant growth. For example, plants in the greenhouse were more than 2 times taller and had at least 12 times greater leaf area than those indoors, which resulted in large differences in shoot dry mass. However, environmental effects on intumescence response also contributed to differences in growth, as plants that were most affected by the disorder experienced severe leaf abscission and/or senescence. Our overall findings show that intumescence is greatly affected by the production environment, but injuries are likely to change based on genetic susceptibility.