Tomato is one of the most interesting crops for the producers, due to the market acceptance and fair price. Aiming to study the tomato cultivar Santa Clara 5800 seedling production, in polystyrene trays of 72, 128, and 200 cells, and three levels of commercial organic composts (7, 14, and 21%) mixed to a local soil, an experiment was carried out in the interface region between Cerrado and Pantanal, during April, May, and June 2008. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized factorial scheme: three container types (trays with 72, 128 and 200 cells) x and three substrates (mix of local soil with 7, 14, and 28% of commercial organic compost), with 15 replications (each seedling represented one replication). The combination between the tray of 72 cells and the substrate with 7% of organic compost was the most feasible for the growth of tomato seedlings. It took best results for the following variables: stem diameter= 0.2 cm; root length= 15.5 cm; fresh mass of the aboveground part= 0.7 g; root dry mass= 17 mg; dry mass of the aboveground part= 62 mg. Thirty three days after sowing, the seedlings, ready for transplantation, measured 6.9 cm height.
Solanum lycopersicum; organic compost; trays for seedlings
