ABSTRACT
One way of improving the quality and production of tomato is the adoption of appropriate techniques for crop management, especially the use of grafting and conduction method of the plants. However, in Brazil, there is a lack of information to encourage such practices. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of rootstocks for tomato plants, with vigorous root system, conducted with four stems, in coconut fiber, under protected cultivation. The adopted spacing was 2.0 m between rows and 0.40 m between plants. For this, we used a randomized block design with four treatments and six replications. The treatments consisted of two rootstocks (“Maxifort” and “Multifort”), self-grafted (“Alambra” in “Alambra”), and ungrafted (“Alambra”). Each plot consisted of 20 plants, out of which the 14 central plants were evaluated. There was no significant effect on yield and fruit quality. In the assessment of nutritional status, there were no differences in the levels of P, Mg, and Ca in grafted plants. Therefore, the rootstocks Maxifort and Multifort, grown under conditions in which the experiment was conducted, did not increase the production and quality of fruits.
Key words:
Solanum lycopersicum L.; grafting; fiber coconut; protected cultivation; stems number.