Two experiments were conducted at Universidade Federal de Viçosa to evaluate nutrient absortion by tomato plants grown under field and protected conditions. In the first experiment, tomato cv. Santa Clara was grown in the field with seven clusters/plant. In the second one tomato hybrid EF-50 was grown in plastic greenhouse and pruned to eight clusters. Both experiments were designed as randomized blocks, with four replicates. The first and second experiments were performed with eight and nine treatments, respectively. In both experiments, the nutrient absorption patterns followed the plant dry matter accumulation. In the field experiment, the amounts of nutrient uptaken by the plants decreased following the order K, N, Ca, S, P, Mg, Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn reaching their maximal values of 360; 206; 202; 49; 32; 29 kg ha-1; and 3415; 2173; 1967 and 500 g ha-1, respectively. In the greenhouse experiment, the order was K, N, Ca, S, Mg, P, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn reaching their maximal values of 264; 211; 195; 49; 40; 30 kg ha-1; and 3227; 2121; 1639 and 651 g ha-1, respectively. Nutrient daily absorption rates are presented as well as the percentages of N and K uptaken at determined tomato plant growth period, which can be helpful to program the time of sidedressing of those nutrients.
Lycopersicon esculentum Mill; plasticulture; nutrient absortion march; mineral nutrition
