To Stop Nitrogen Overdose in Soilless Tomato Crop: A Way to Promote Fruit Quality without Affecting Fruit Yield

Summary

This field study demonstrates that tomato greenhouse production on rockwool can maintain commercial fruit yield whilst improving fruit quality by reducing nitrogen supply from the standard recommendation of 16 mM to 5 mM, which better matches plant uptake capacity. Over-fertilisation increased leaf and stem nitrogen accumulation without improving yield or photosynthesis, but markedly reduced the sugar:acid ratio in the fruit pericarp. The authors propose that precision nitrogen management offers both quality enhancement and reduced environmental footprint for protected horticulture.

Regional applicability

The findings are directly applicable to United Kingdom protected tomato production systems, particularly glasshouse operations using hydroponic or rockwool substrates, which commonly follow similar high-nitrogen fertigation protocols. However, transferability depends on matching UK growing conditions, cultivar selection, and climate control regimes to those in the French study.

Key measures

Nitrogen accumulation in plant tissues, fruit yield, leaf photosynthetic activity, fruit quality parameters (sugar content, acid content, vitamin C, sugar:acid ratio in pericarp and locular gel composition)

Outcomes reported

The study compared nitrogen supply levels (16 mM vs 5 mM) in greenhouse tomato production and measured plant growth, yield, photosynthetic activity, and fruit quality metrics including sugars, acids and vitamin C content. Findings showed that reduced nitrogen supply maintained yield whilst improving fruit quality characteristics without significant loss of productivity.

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