Abstract
Commercially available growing media permitted for use in certified organic production differ substantially in quantity and availability of essential macronutrients. Nutrient availability from fertilizers applied during production will depend on chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of both media and fertilizers; therefore, best practices for fertilizing seedlings are likely to differ. This study evaluated tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) emergence, seedling growth, and posttransplant performance when grown in five organic growing media with and without supplemental fertilizer during transplant production in three diverse locations. A 5N–0.88P–3.32K–3Ca (5–2–4) dry fertilizer was tested in all media, and a liquid 3N–0.88P–2.49K (3–2–3) fertilizer was tested in two media. Fertilizer improved growth of seedlings in two media that did not contain compost, but not consistently in compost media. Incorporation of dry fertilizer before seeding inhibited emergence, especially in compost media with high electrical conductivity (EC). In noncompost media, liquid fertilizer improved growth more when application began early. Both fertilizers increased media EC and altered pH, with larger changes in noncompost media. Without fertilizer, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) were deficient in plant tissue after 4 to 5 weeks. Fertilizer increased N and K concentrations, especially in noncompost media, but only applications of liquid fertilizer near the end of transplant production consistently prevented N deficiency. Four weeks after transplanting to the field, plants fertilized as seedlings were larger than unfertilized plants, especially when grown in noncompost media, and they had more flower clusters and set fruit earlier. At one location where yield was measured, early yield of seedlings grown in noncompost media was greater when they were fertilized. They also produced more tomatoes, but the average fruit size was smaller. In compost media, fertilizer had inconsistent effects on flowering, fruit set, and yield. Based on this work, for media without compost and low in nutrients, fertilization is recommended beginning early in seedling production. For compost media with high initial EC, delaying fertilizer application for approximately 3 weeks is recommended. More research is needed to identify best management practices related to fertilizer rates, application methods, and timing. Development of methods to assess the need for fertilization that can be implemented on farms will be valuable to improving organic transplant production.
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Claims 19
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer improved tomato seedling growth in two media lacking compost.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- Fertilizere0
- Outcome
- growth of seedlingse0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Setting
- two media that did not contain composte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fertilizer improved growth of seedlings in two media that did not contain compost”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer did not consistently improve tomato seedling growth in compost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Fertilizere0
- Outcome
- growth of seedlingse0
- Direction
- not consistentlye0
- Setting
- compost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fertilizer improved growth of seedlings in two media that did not contain compost, but not consistently in compost media”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Dry fertilizer incorporated before seeding inhibited tomato emergence, especially in high EC compost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Incorporation of dry fertilizer before seedinge0
- Outcome
- emergencee0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
- Setting
- compost media with high electrical conductivity (EC)e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Incorporation of dry fertilizer before seeding inhibited emergence, especially in compost media with high electrical conductivity (EC)”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
In noncompost media, earlier liquid fertilizer improved tomato seedling growth more.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- liquid fertilizere0
- Outcome
- growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- application began earlye0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In noncompost media, liquid fertilizer improved growth more when application began early”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Both fertilizers increased media EC, with larger changes in noncompost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Both fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- media ECe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both fertilizers increased media EC and altered pH, with larger changes in noncompost media”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Both fertilizers altered media pH, more in noncompost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Both fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- pHe0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both fertilizers increased media EC and altered pH, with larger changes in noncompost media”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Unfertilized tomato tissue was deficient in nitrogen after 4 to 5 weeks.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- nitrogen (N)e0
- Qualifier
- deficient in plant tissue after 4 to 5 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Without fertilizer, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) were deficient in plant tissue after 4 to 5 weeks”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Unfertilized tomato tissue was deficient in potassium after 4 to 5 weeks.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- potassium (K)e0
- Qualifier
- deficient in plant tissue after 4 to 5 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Without fertilizer, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) were deficient in plant tissue after 4 to 5 weeks”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer increased tomato tissue nitrogen concentration, especially in noncompost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Fertilizere0
- Outcome
- Ne0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fertilizer increased N and K concentrations, especially in noncompost media”
e1“nitrogen (N)”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer increased tomato tissue potassium concentration, especially in noncompost media.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Fertilizere0
- Outcome
- K concentrationse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fertilizer increased N and K concentrations, especially in noncompost media”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Liquid fertilizer near the end of transplant production consistently prevented tomato nitrogen deficiency.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- applications of liquid fertilizer near the end of transplant productione0
- Outcome
- N deficiencye0
- Direction
- preventede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only applications of liquid fertilizer near the end of transplant production consistently prevented N deficiency”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Tomato plants fertilized as seedlings were larger four weeks after field transplanting.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fertilized as seedlingse0
- Outcome
- plantse0
- Direction
- largere0
- Comparator
- unfertilized plantse0
- Setting
- fielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Four weeks after transplanting to the field, plants fertilized as seedlings were larger than unfertilized plants, especially when grown in noncompost media”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling fertilization increased tomato flower clusters and advanced fruit set.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fertilized as seedlingse1
- Outcome
- flower clusters and set fruite0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- unfertilized plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“they had more flower clusters and set fruit earlier”
e1“plants fertilized as seedlings were larger than unfertilized plants”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Early tomato yield from noncompost seedlings increased with fertilizer at the measured location.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fertilizede0
- Outcome
- early yielde0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Setting
- noncompost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At one location where yield was measured, early yield of seedlings grown in noncompost media was greater when they were fertilized”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilized noncompost seedlings produced more tomatoes.
- Taxon
- tomatoesSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- fertilizede1
- Outcome
- tomatoese0
- Direction
- moree0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“They also produced more tomatoes”
e1“early yield of seedlings grown in noncompost media was greater when they were fertilized”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilized noncompost seedlings produced smaller average tomato fruit.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fertilizede1
- Outcome
- average fruit sizee0
- Direction
- smallere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but the average fruit size was smaller”
e1“early yield of seedlings grown in noncompost media was greater when they were fertilized”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
In compost media, fertilizer effects on flowering, fruit set and yield were inconsistent.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fertilizere0
- Outcome
- flowering, fruit set, and yielde0
- Direction
- inconsistente0
- Setting
- compost mediae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In compost media, fertilizer had inconsistent effects on flowering, fruit set, and yield”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend fertilization early in seedling production for low nutrient media without compost.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- fertilization is recommended beginning early in seedling productione0
- Setting
- media without compost and low in nutrientse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“for media without compost and low in nutrients, fertilization is recommended beginning early in seedling production”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend delaying fertilizer about 3 weeks in compost media with high initial EC.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- delaying fertilizer applicatione0
- Value
- approximately 3 weekse0
- Setting
- compost media with high initial ECe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“For compost media with high initial EC, delaying fertilizer application for approximately 3 weeks is recommended”
t0“Tomato”
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