Tomato cultivation in a “bandeirante” greenhouse using grafting and soilless culture techniques

Resumo

The study evaluated the effects of grafting with a disease-resistant rootstock and soilless cultivation on tomato yield and soil-borne diseases in a "Bandeirante" greenhouse. Conducted over three seasons (2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22), the experiments compared three treatments: (1) ungrafted Coronel® tomato in soil (control), (2) grafted Coronel® onto Shincheonggang® rootstock in soil, and (3) ungrafted Coronel® in pots with a mixed substrate. The highest marketable yield (146.7 t ha^-¹) was consistently achieved with the ungrafted plants in pots, significantly outperforming other treatments. Yields from ungrafted (89.9 t ha^-¹) and grafted (98.9 t ha^-¹) plantings in soil were statistically similar. No bacterial wilt was detected, and ungrafted plants in pots showed reduced vascular darkening in the stem base. The findings highlight the benefits of soilless cultivation with mixed substrate, including higher yields, better fruit quality, and economic advantages.