Ethylen evolution from tomato plants grown in NFT system

Abstract

An experiment was carried out during 1997 and 1998 at the Arid Land Experimental Site, faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams university to study the effect of different supporting materials for troughs namely wood, foam, cement and soil on the temperature of nutrient solution and leaf temperature and their reflected effect on ethylene production by the leaves of tomato (Lycompersicon esculentum Mill.). var. Carmello Nutrient solution, leaf temperature on the top of the plant, leaf temperature on the bottom of the plant, ethylene released from the young leaves and from the old leaves. Data showed that using cement as a supporting material increases nutrient and leaf temperature significantly, which reflects on its ethylene evolution by increasing it during the day. Young and old leaves showed similar trends in both temperature and ethylene evolution but in a different rate. Data are further discussed.