• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 2007

This research was conducted to evaluate the influence of pre-planting fertilizer levels (PFL) and initiation time of fertigation (ITF) on growth and nutrient contents of tomato plug seedlings. The pre-planting fertilizer levels in a coir+peatmoss+perlite (4:4:2, v/v/v) substrate were adjusted to 0.5X, 1.0X and 1.0X, and initiation time of fertigation was set to 7, 14,21 and 28 days after sowing. Elevated PFL in same ITF increased plant growth such as fresh and dry weights at 35 and 70 days after sowing. Plugs with early feeding among treatments of equal amount of PFL also showed better growth as compared to those of later feeding. In each ITF, 0.5X treatment had the higher tissue $P_2O_5$ contents than 1.0X and 1.5X treatments. Elevated PFL resulted in the decrease of tissue K, Mg and Fe contents and increase of tissue Ca contents. The pH in soil solution of all root substrates except 0.5X treatment at 35 and 70 days after sowing were greater than 7.0, which is too high. This suggests that the amounts and kinds of Ca containing fertilizers should be altered to decrease the pH. The results of this research indicated that fertilizer levels should be increased to 1.5X except Ca fertilizer, and fertigation immediately after moving plug trays from germination room to greenhouse is required to increase crop growth and decrease cropping time.