Modeling the growth and yield of tomatoes cultivated with a low node-order pinching system at high plant density

Abstract

A new tomato growth model was developed based on an existing growth model to predict the growth and yield of tomato plants cultivated with a low node-order pinching system at high plant density, under annually variable environmental conditions in Japan. Over a 5-year period, we obtained the growth and yield data of 2 tomato Japanese cultivars in a large-scale commercial greenhouse, in correlation with environmental data (i.e., radiation, air temperature, humidity). We calculated the wink strength of each vegetative organ and fruit and determined cultivar specific constants, by modifying an existing process growth model developed for long-term cultivated tomatoes. The accuracy of the modified simulation, regarding the growth and yield of tomato plants, cultivated with a low node-order pinching system at high plant density, was improved by the modification of cultivar specific constants and calculation methods of fruit sink strength, with an overall error of just 16.5%.