The effect of soil covering with transparent polyethylene sheets, known as soil solarization, on tomate crop insule a 10m x 25m plastic greenhouse was evaluated in the Subtropical Central Region of the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. A 80-day solarization pre-planting treatment from December 17, 1992 to March 7, 1993 significantly enhanced marketable fruit weight of "Monte Carlo" tornato variety (91% increase). A large increase was observed in plant growth response resulted by solarization, even in the absence of known pathogens. Differences in chemical soil properties were not detected.
Solar heating; tomate; plastic greenhouse
