Farmers of Caçador, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, need experimental results of tomato super density cropping system, since the ecological conditions of this region permit them decide to adopt this system or not. The aim of this work was to evaluate the tomato super density cropping system with hybrids used in Caçador. Two experiments were carried out at Epagri, Experimental Station of Caçador, during the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 harvest period. The treatments in 2007/2008 were the combination of two hybrids (Miramar and T92), two methods of staking (in vertical and "V") and two methods of training plants (one stem per plant in the spacing of 0.15 m between plants and two stems per plant in the spacing of 0.3 m between plants). In 2008/2009, the treatments were the combination of two hybrids (Paron and Plutão) and two super density methods of training plants (one stem per plant in the spacing of 0.15 m between plants and two stems per plant in the spacing of 0.3 m between plants) plus the traditional density and method of training plants (two stems per plant in the spacing of 0.6 m between plants). The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks with four replications in a split-split-plot, in 2007/2008, and a split-plot in the 2008/2009 season. All treatments had 44,444 stems/ha, except for the treatments with traditional methods of training plants (22,222 stems/ha). The variables analyzed were total, marketable and unmarketable yield, average mass of fruits, marketable and unmarketable percentage of fruits in relation to the total number of fruits, and severity of leaf diseases. The tomato hybrids do not interfere in agronomic responses to the super density of plants. The super density of plants increased, on average, 73.2% the marketable yield, in relation to the traditional density of plants. The marketable yield of the super density of plants in the "V" staking was 19.2% higher than the super density of plants in the vertically staking. The plant training with one stem per plant increased 10.4% the marketable yield in relation to the plant training with two stems per plant in the super density of plants. The super density of plants increased the leaf severity of early blight, in relation to the traditional density of plants.
Lycopersicon esculentum; staking; plant spacing
