Variability of tomato in protected environment in response to meteorological parameters

Abstract

An experimental site for the measurement of meteorological parameters in protected environment and the evaluation of the tomato cultivar variability is presented in this paper. The site was equipped with cultivation structures with different covering materials and calibrated sensors traceable to the International System of Units. The microclimate conditions were monitored by sensors for solar radiation (from 290 nm to 2800 nm), air temperature (from −10°C to 40°C) and relative humidity (from 10% RH to 98% RH) inside and outside the tunnels. Specific procedures were used to calibrate the instruments. The following aspects were evaluated: microclimate and solar radiation within different cultivations; morphological observations of the tomatoes in response to the different environments; optical and radiometric properties of the films used as covering material. High temperatures recorded (over 40°C) changed the transmissive feature of the films and consequently affected the growth, anthesis, leaf area index and fruit setting of tomatoes.