Abstract
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch in New York State frequently have more branches and increased mineral nutrient uptake and yield than plants not mulched. In four field experiments conducted on a silt loam soil, clear PE mulch stimulated root extension shortly after transplanting. One week after transplanting, roots were significantly longer for mulched than for unmulched plants in all four experiments, whereas aboveground dry matter differences did not become significant until 14 days after transplanting in two of four trials. Mulching increased branching, hastened flowering on basal branches, and increased concentration of major nutrients in the aboveground parts. In the field, stimulation of aboveground growth due to mulch might be brought about by warming of the stem by air escaping from the planting hole in the mulch. However, an experiment with black, white, or clear mulch, in which the planting hole was either left uncovered or covered with soil, showed no effect of hole closure on branching even though air temperature near the stem was increased when holes were left uncovered. The results taken together imply that the increased aboveground growth observed with mulching is a consequence of enhanced root growth and nutrient uptake.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
One week after transplanting, roots of mulched tomato plants were significantly longer than those of unmulched plants in all four field experiments.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Organ / stage
- rootse1
- Treatment
- mulchede1
- Outcome
- rootse1
- Direction
- longere1
- Qualifier
- One week after transplantinge1
- Comparator
- unmulched plantse1
- Setting
- four field experimentse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e1“One week after transplanting, roots were significantly longer for mulched than for unmulched plants in all four experiments”
e2“In four field experiments conducted on a silt loam soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Aboveground dry matter differences between mulched and unmulched tomato plants became significant only 14 days after transplanting in two of four trials.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Outcome
- aboveground dry matter differencese3
- Qualifier
- did not become significant until 14 days after transplanting in two of four trialse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e3“aboveground dry matter differences did not become significant until 14 days after transplanting in two of four trials”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching increased branching of tomato plants.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- Mulchinge4
- Outcome
- branchinge4
- Direction
- increasede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e4“Mulching increased branching”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching hastened flowering on basal branches of tomato plants.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Organ / stage
- basal branchese5
- Treatment
- Mulchinge4
- Outcome
- floweringe5
- Direction
- hastenede5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e4“Mulching increased branching”
e5“hastened flowering on basal branches”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching increased the concentration of major nutrients in the aboveground parts of tomato plants.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Organ / stage
- aboveground partse6
- Treatment
- Mulchinge4
- Outcome
- concentration of major nutrientse6
- Direction
- increasede6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e4“Mulching increased branching”
e6“increased concentration of major nutrients in the aboveground parts”
Claim · model-written summary
The increased aboveground growth with mulching is a consequence of enhanced root growth and nutrient uptake.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- mulchinge7
- Outcome
- increased aboveground growthe7
- Qualifier
- enhanced root growth and nutrient uptakee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e7“The results taken together imply that the increased aboveground growth observed with mulching is a consequence of enhanced root growth and nutrient uptake”
Claim · model-written summary
Closing the planting hole had no effect on branching in an experiment with black, white or clear mulch.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- hole closuree7
- Outcome
- branchinge7
- Direction
- no effecte7
- Comparator
- left uncoverede7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e7“an experiment with black, white, or clear mulch, in which the planting hole was either left uncovered or covered with soil, showed no effect of hole closure on branching”
Claim · model-written summary
Air temperature near the stem increased when planting holes were left uncovered under mulch.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- left uncoverede7
- Outcome
- air temperature near the steme7
- Direction
- increasede7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown on polyethylene (PE) mulch”
e7“even though air temperature near the stem was increased when holes were left uncovered”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · growth · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
61 papers in the same direction as this paper · 11 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
69 papers more in this group
See all 73 papers →mulching · nutrient: content · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
10 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
8 papers more in this group
See all 12 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.