Supplemental Carbon Dioxide and Light Improved Tomato and Pepper Seedling Growth and Yield

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of CO, enrichment (900 μl·liter-1, 8 hours/day) in combination with supplementary lighting of 100 μmol·s-1·m-2(16-h photoperiod) on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedling growth in the greenhouse and subsequent yield in the field. Enrichment with CO2 and supplementary lighting for ≈ 3 weeks before transplanting increased accumulation of dry matter in shoots by ≈ 50% compared with the control, while root dry weight increased 49% for tomato and 6270 for pepper. Early yields increased by =1570 and 11% for tomato and pepper, respectively.