EFFETS DE LA FERTILISATION AZOTÉE SUR LA CROISSANCE DE TRANSPLANTS DE TOMATE ET DE LAITUE CULTIVÉS EN PLATEAUX MULTICELLULAIRES AVEC OU SANS ÉCLAIRAGE D’APPOINT

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ’Springset’) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. ’Ithaca’) transplants were grown under natural and supplemental light (100 μmol m−2 s−1 PAR) and fertilized with four nitrogen doses (100, 200, 300, and 400 mg L−1 N). Supplemental light increased tomato shoot dry weight, shoot percent dry matter, leaf area, root dry weight, and root-to-shoot ratio. Lettuce transplants showed increased shoot and root dry weight as well as leaf area when supplemental light was present. For both species, nitrogen increased shoot dry weight and leaf area, but decreased shoot percent dry matter and root-to-shoot ratio. High nitrogen doses increased tomato and lettuce shoot dry weight and leaf area chiefly under supplemental light.Key words: Lycopersicon esculentum, Lactuca sativa, pretransplanting nutritional conditioning, seedling