Many vegetable farmers reported that in their first and second batches of fruits from last year's greenhouse-grown tomatoes, fruit cracking occurred at the pedicels. A notable feature of this cracking was that most of the fruits split from the flower base, revealing internal tissues when they cracked.
The condition was diagnosed as tomato deformity after field inspections. Both malformed fruits and cracked fruits are considered physiological disorders, but they exhibit different symptoms due to different underlying causes.
Tomato malformation presents with various symptoms. Common types include: 1) pointed type, such as umbilical protrusions resembling a bony prominence; 2) polygonal type, where the fruit elongates and develops several grooves; 3) top depression shape, where the fruit’s top appears sunken; and 4) grain exposure type, where the seeds become visible through cracks in the pedicel. Other forms include pod-like fruits. Cracked fruits are mainly classified into radial cracking, ring cracking, and stripe cracking.
In recent years, many greenhouse-grown tomatoes have shown signs of exposed seeds. This is often due to incomplete development of flowers and fruits. The quality of flower bud differentiation plays a crucial role in whether the tomato develops into a normal fruit. Especially for the first and second trusses of fruit, they are often exposed to extreme temperatures during seedling transplant. Typically, by the time the tomato seedlings have six true leaves, the flower buds for the first four flower clusters have already completed differentiation. If, during the seedling stage, the flower buds are exposed to low or high temperatures, insufficient water, or excessive nitrogen fertilizer, it can lead to over-differentiation of the flower buds, resulting in multi-carpel malformed flowers. These malformed flowers then produce deformed fruits early on.
Additionally, during the nursery period or transplanting phase, if the temperature is too low or there is prolonged drought, the day-night temperature difference is small, and nitrogen supply is inadequate, the seedlings may be under stress. This can cause the formation of cork-like tissue in the flowers. When these seedlings are moved to more favorable conditions, the existing cork tissue cannot keep up with the rapid growth of new internal tissues, leading to fruit cracking, pod-like shapes, or seeds becoming exposed. This is why the first and second trusses often show more exposed seeds, directly linked to the previous growing temperature conditions of the tomato plants.
To manage this issue, several control measures can be taken. First, choose varieties that are less likely to produce deformed fruits, such as Hongyu, Hongbao, Xifen 3, Jiahong, and Lichun. Second, use plant growth regulators wisely. If seedlings grow too tall, avoid relying solely on water restriction or cooling to control growth. Instead, apply a "multipurpose" 200-fold solution or 0.01% concentration spray, such as 25% booster, to regulate growth properly. Third, when watering, avoid deep ploughing. Mix 30 ml of a solution with 15 kg of water for irrigation, and consider combining it with organic fertilizer—add 30 grams of Angray (grain) per 30 kg of fertilizer to improve soil permeability and enhance nutrient absorption. Fourth, promptly remove any exposed fruits. To prevent malformed fruits, it is recommended to spray a boron and calcium solution diluted 600–800 times every six days for 2–3 consecutive applications. This method has proven effective in preventing and treating tomato deformities, especially for cases involving exposed seeds.
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