Abstract
The commercial use of mechanical stimulation to control transplant growth is quite limited. To be commercially successful, the technique must be simple and flexible, and must not reduce plant quality. Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene. Ten or twenty daily strokes typically provided significant height control without plant damage. Increasing the interval between strokes to up to 10 minutes resulted in the same amount of height control as continuous brushing. There were typically no differences between treating the plants at 0800 or at 1700 hours. Significant height control was achieved if treatments were begun at the first or second true leaf stage, but treatments begun at a later stage of development resulted in leaf damage. Brushing before transplanting to the field resulted in a significant decrease in stem elongation (~20%). However, there were no significant differences between brushed and unbrushed plants in long-term growth or final fruit yield after transplanting to the field. Preliminary studies were also conducted on four bedding plant species: geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum), impatiens (Impatiens holstii), petunia (Petunia hybrida) and pansy (Viola tricolor). Brushing was applied to seedlings growing at a density of 1500 plants m-2 using either polythene or plastic netting. For geranium and impatiens, any reductions in plant stature were associated with significant plant damage. Brushing induced a prostrate growth habit and leaf distortion in petunia and significantly reduced leaf area and shoot dry weight. Pansy plants were undamaged by 10 or 20 brush strokes per day and showed a significant (17–22%) decrease in petiole length, typically without significant effects on leaf area, dry weight or days to flower. Brushing provides a flexible, effective method for controlling tomato and pansy transplant size without adversely affecting quality or long-term growth.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Ten or twenty daily strokes provided significant height control in tomato seedlings without plant damage.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- Ten or twenty daily strokese2
- Outcome
- height controle2
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede2
- Qualifier
- without plant damagee2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e2“Ten or twenty daily strokes typically provided significant height control without plant damage”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing intervals of up to 10 minutes gave the same height control in tomato as continuous brushing.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- Increasing the interval between strokes to up to 10 minutese3
- Outcome
- height controle3
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede3
- Comparator
- continuous brushinge3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e3“Increasing the interval between strokes to up to 10 minutes resulted in the same amount of height control as continuous brushing”
Claim · model-written summary
Treating tomato plants at 0800 or at 1700 hours produced no differences.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- treating the plants at 0800e4
- Outcome
- differencese4
- Direction
- no differencese4
- Comparator
- at 1700 hourse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e4“There were typically no differences between treating the plants at 0800 or at 1700 hours”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing begun at the first or second true leaf stage achieved significant height control in tomato.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Organ / stage
- first or second true leaf stagee5
- Treatment
- treatments were begun at the first or second true leaf stagee5
- Outcome
- height controle5
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e5“Significant height control was achieved if treatments were begun at the first or second true leaf stage, but treatments begun at a later stage of development resulted in leaf damage.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing begun at a later stage of development caused leaf damage in tomato.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Organ / stage
- a later stage of developmente5
- Treatment
- treatments begun at a later stage of developmente5
- Outcome
- leaf damagee5
- Direction
- increaseinferrede5
- Comparator
- first or second true leaf stagee5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e5“Significant height control was achieved if treatments were begun at the first or second true leaf stage, but treatments begun at a later stage of development resulted in leaf damage.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing before transplanting to the field significantly decreased stem elongation of tomato by about 20%.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- Brushing before transplanting to the fielde6
- Outcome
- stem elongatione6
- Direction
- decreasee6
- Value
- ~20%e6
- Setting
- the fielde6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e6“Brushing before transplanting to the field resulted in a significant decrease in stem elongation (~20%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushed and unbrushed tomato plants showed no significant differences in long-term growth or final fruit yield after transplanting to the field.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- brushede7
- Outcome
- long-term growth or final fruit yielde7
- Direction
- no significant differencese7
- Comparator
- unbrushed plantse7
- Setting
- the fielde7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Brushing was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings growing at a density of 2100 plants m-2 by daily stroking with a piece of polystyrene.”
e7“However, there were no significant differences between brushed and unbrushed plants in long-term growth or final fruit yield after transplanting to the field”
Claim · model-written summary
In geranium and impatiens, reductions in plant stature were associated with significant plant damage.
Geranium
ImpatiensOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“For geranium and impatiens, any reductions in plant stature were associated with significant plant damage”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing induced a prostrate growth habit and leaf distortion in petunia.
_flowers_in_Westgate_Gardens%2C_Canterbury.jpg?width=60){kind=small}
PetuniaNot reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_flowers_in_Westgate_Gardens%2C_Canterbury.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Brushing induced a prostrate growth habit and leaf distortion in petunia and significantly reduced leaf area and shoot dry weight.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing significantly reduced leaf area and shoot dry weight of petunia.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Brushing induced a prostrate growth habit and leaf distortion in petunia and significantly reduced leaf area and shoot dry weight.”
Claim · model-written summary
Pansy plants were undamaged by 10 or 20 brush strokes per day.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Pansy plants were undamaged by 10 or 20 brush strokes per day and showed a significant (17–22%) decrease in petiole length, typically without significant effects on leaf area, dry weight or days to flower.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing significantly decreased petiole length of pansy by 17–22%.
- Taxon
- Pansye0
- Treatment
- 10 or 20 brush strokes per daye0
- Outcome
- petiole lengthe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 17–22%e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Pansy plants were undamaged by 10 or 20 brush strokes per day and showed a significant (17–22%) decrease in petiole length, typically without significant effects on leaf area, dry weight or days to flower.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing typically had no significant effects on leaf area, dry weight or days to flower of pansy.
- Taxon
- Pansye0
- Treatment
- 10 or 20 brush strokes per daye0
- Outcome
- leaf area, dry weight or days to flowere0
- Direction
- without significant effectse0
- Qualifier
- typicallye0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Pansy plants were undamaged by 10 or 20 brush strokes per day and showed a significant (17–22%) decrease in petiole length, typically without significant effects on leaf area, dry weight or days to flower.”
Claim · model-written summary
Brushing is an effective method for controlling tomato and pansy transplant size without adversely affecting quality or long-term growth.
Verbatim
e0“Brushing provides a flexible, effective method for controlling tomato and pansy transplant size without adversely affecting quality or long-term growth”
The same questions in other papers
transplanting · growth · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
22 papers in the same direction as this paper · 9 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- negative
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See all 32 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.