ABSTRACT
The objective was to study the leaf temperature (LT) and leaf diffusive vapor conductance (gs) responses to temperature, humidity and incident flux density of photosynthetically active photons (PPFD) of tomato plants grown without water restriction in a plastic greenhouse in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. The plants were grown in substrate and irrigated daily. The gs was measured using a steady-state null-balance porometer on the abaxial face of the leaves during the daytime. Both leaf surfaces were measured in one day. The PPFD and LT were measured using the porometer. Leaf temperature was determined using an infrared thermometer, and air temperature and humidity were measured using a thermohygrograph. The leaves on the upper layer of the plants had higher gs than the lower layer. The relationship between the gs and PPFD was different for the two layers in the plants. A consistent relationship between the gs and atmospheric water demand was observed only in the lower layer. The LT tended to be lower than the air temperature. The mean value for the gs was 2.88 times higher on the abaxial than adaxial leaf surface.
ABSTRACT
O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar o filocrono na haste principal e em hastes laterais de primeira ordem e estimar a área foliar a partir do número de folhas em três genótipos de tomateiro cultivados em estufa plástica. Um experimento foi conduzido em estufa plástica na área experimental do Departamento de Fitotecnia da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS. Foram utilizados três genótipos de tomate: "Kátia", "Durino" e "Emperor". O transplante das mudas com 3-4 folhas definitivas foi realizado em 31/10/2005. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições, compostas de duas fileiras de oito plantas. Em seis plantas de cada repetição foram realizadas observações do número de folhas na haste principal e em hastes laterais de primeira ordem e em duas plantas de cada repetição foram medidos o comprimento e a largura das folhas na haste principal. O filocrono foi estimado pelo inverso do coeficiente angular da regressão linear entre o número de folhas acumuladas na haste e a soma térmica acumulada após o transplante. O filocrono da haste principal foi menor do que o filocrono das hastes laterais de primeira ordem. A área foliar do tomateiro em uma haste pode ser estimada através do número de folhas acumuladas nesta haste.
This study was aimed at estimating the phyllochron on the main stem and on first order lateral branches, and estimate leaf area from leaf number in three tomato genotypes grown inside a plastic green-house. An experiment was conducted inside a plastic greenhouse at the experimental area of the Plant Science Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Three tomato genotypes were used: 'Kátia', 'Durino', and 'Emperor'. Three to four-leaf seedlings were transplanted on 10/31/2005. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with four replications composed of two 8-plants rows. The number of leaves on the main stem and on first order lateral branches was counted in six plants of each replication. Leaf length and width were measured on two plants per replication. The phyllochron was estimated as the inverse of the slope of the linear regression of leaf number against accumulated thermal time from transplanting. The phyllochron on the main stem was greater than on the first order lateral branches. Leaf area on a stem of the tomato plant can be estimated from the number of accumulated lateral leaves on this stem.