Abstract
Recommended techniques for planting root-bound, store-bought tomato plants vary considerably, leaving home gardeners at a loss for which technique to choose. Researchers investigated the impact of four transplanting methods on the yield of two tomato hybrids, the determinate ‘Bella Rosa’ and the indeterminate ‘Big Beef’. Field experiments were conducted at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas, NM, USA, in 2018 and 2019. Pruning treatments applied to transplanted root-bound seedlings immediately before planting included 1) “pop-n-drop,” seedlings planted with minimal root disturbance; 2) “scuffed,” the outer surface of the root ball was gently chafed, 3) “halved,” half of the root ball was completely severed diagonally; and 4) “washed,” the entire root ball was submerged in water and freed of soil. Response variables included above- and belowground tissue dry weight, stem diameter, and tomato yield. Yield data were collected separately for red fruit (harvested as they ripened) and green fruit (harvested before the first frost). The total fruit yields of ‘Big Beef’ and ‘Bella Rosa’ were not significantly affected by any of the tested root disturbance techniques, according to our findings. However, there was a significant increase in the end-of-season green fruit yield with the scuffed method for ‘Big Beef’ and with the pop-n-drop for ‘Bella Rosa’. Both scuffed plants and the cultivar Big Beef exhibited the largest root sizes. ‘Big Beef’ exhibited greater mortality compared with ‘Bella Rosa’.