Application of sucrose on tomato seedlings improves transplant quality, crop establishment, cold and dark hardiness

Transplant production is an important part of the vegetable production process. Therefore, improving transplant quality and resistance to adverse environmental conditions is important. Effects of sucrose solutions (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%), applied to the foliage of tomato (Solatium lycopersicum L.) cultivars Calj-N3 and Rio-Grande were studied. Treatments were applied to developing seedlings at every other irrigation for six weeks. Application of 25% sucrose increased fresh and dry weights of shoots, fresh weight of roots, and shoot and root dry weight percentages. Application of 25% sucrose led to a 13 and 18% higher survival to chilling temperature in 'Calj-N3' and 'Rio-Grande' tomato seedlings, respectively. The highest transplant survival percentages in darkness were found at 10% sucrose and higher. Seedlings sprayed with 15% sucrose solution had the highest transplant establishment in the field and flowering was approximately four to five days earlier. A 15% sucrose treatment is thus preferred.