Hydroponic Tomato Crop Production

In this superb specialist publication, Dr Morgan pieces together a wealth of worldwide scientific research findings, grower experience, management expertise, and up to date technical information on every conceivable topic relevant to modern commercial greenhouse tomato production, and presents it in her delightful easy-reading style making it all readily understood by a wide audience.

Growers, scientists, academics, merchants and anyone involved in commercial hydroponic tomato crop production anywhere in the world, will benefit from the information presented in Dr. Morgan’s latest book.

• The tomato plant, introduction and history, health benefits, history of greenhouse cultivation, hydroponic tomato fruit markets, cultivars, world production statistics,  future production, yields and potential
• Types of tomato, determinate vs indeterminate cultivars, hybrids vs open pollinated, commercial greenhouse types and cultivars, heirloom types, cultivar selection, disease resistance and codes, seed suppliers
• Protected environments for tomato production the tomato environment, temperature, heating, cooling, humidity
• VPD, light, CO2, O2, outdoor environments Hydroponic systems for commercial tomato production – solution culture, flood and drain, growing substrates and their properties
• Organic hydroponic tomato production, certification, allowable inputs, nutrients, PH control
• Heirloom Tomato production
• Tomato nutrition, nutrients, solution concentrations and adjustments, and factors that affect nutrient uptake in tomato crops. water quality, nutrient formulation, solution analysis examples, leachate sampling, nutrient and foliar mineral level interpretation,  Nutrient management, nutrient deficiencies and toxicities, pH, irrigation management, deficit irrigation, irregular watering, foliar sprays
• Tomato propagation – cultivar selection for disease resistance and characteristics, temperatures determine flower numbers, GE, long shelf life cultivars
• Systems of production – determinate vs indeterminate, limited truss, long term layering, intercropping, second head, split head systems, leaf pruning, leaf plucking, lower leaf removal, LAI,  crop training, pruning, support, spacing, layering, vegetative growth, flowering, pollination, fruit set and fruit growth, pollinators, fruit thinning, truss pruning
• Crop steering, environmental control for crop growth, DIFS, pre night drop, cultivar differences, temperatures, root zone heating, cooling, vegetative vs generative crop, side shoot retention and removal, topping, crop removal CO2 enrichment and artificial lighting, humidity
• Crop and fruit quality, improvements, flavor, shelf life, quality testing, brix, dry weight, acidity, shelf life, self assessment, taste panels
• Pests, Control options, IPM, sprays, and biological control
• Diseases,Control options, sprays, and biological control
• Physiological disorders
• Non biotic disorders
• Harvesting, post harvest handling, packaging and storage, ripeness stages, effects on flavor and quality
• References
• Index/appendices