Tomatoes 1
Cages, stakes, basket weave, string trellis
What is a sucker and where is it found on a tomato plant?
A sucker is a branch or side shoot that grows out of a leaf axil (the angle above the leaf where it is attached to the stem)
What is a rhizome?
A horizontal underground stem
What are the 3 parts of the disease triangle and what is the significance of the triangle?
Susceptible plant, virulent pathogen, conducive environment. All 3 are needed for there to be disease.
Why do we put shade cloth on our cat tunnels?
To reduce the temperature inside, especially for lettuce, but also to reduce heat stress for other crops, too.
How can growers get away with harvesting tomatoes with machines?
They grow varieties that are tough, with little juice and they are used for processing, so some damage is not important.
What are adventitious roots?
Roots that originate from somewhere where roots do not usually grow. For tomatoes, adventitious roots grow all along the lower stem, especially if the stem is in contact with soil.
In what directions do xylem and phloem move materials?
Xylem moves water & dissolved nutrients up. Phloem moves sugars, proteins, etc down or in any direction.
What are 4 types of organisms that cause disease?
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes
Why do tomatoes in the grocery store not taste as good as fresh locally grown tomatoes?
They are picked green and ripen during shipping and storage.
Describe how to trellis tomatoes with a string trellis.
Hang the string or twine from an overhead wire or other structure. Clip the twine to the main stem of the plant, close to the bottom of the plant. Wrap the stem around the string.
What is an open pollinated and what is an heirloom variety?
An open pollinated variety is one that will grow true to type when seeds are saved (assuming it is not pollinated by another variety). An heirloom variety is an open pollinated variety that is at least 50 years old, often seed is saved year after year by a family or community.
What is the area called at the tip of a shoot or of a root where cells are dividing?
Apical meristem
Why do pruning and trellising sometimes reduce disease?
They create better air flow around leaves resulting in leaves drying faster. Many pathogens need an extended period of wet leaves to infect the plant.
What time of year will a short day plant likely flower?
Late summer or fall.
What are 3 benefits of trellising tomatoes?
It allows closer spacing, makes harvest easier, less fruit rots, less disease on leaves.
What are the differences between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes?
Determinate have stems that end in a flower cluster. The plants are shorter, growing to a certain height and stopping. Their harvest window is shorder. Indeterminate plants can grow very tall. They have stems that continue to grow and keep producing fruit until the weather gets too cold.
How can a fibrous root system benefit soil & how can a tap root system benefit soil?
Fibrous promotes granular structure in surface layer of soil. Tap root loosens compaction in deeper layers & can bring up nutrients from deeper in the soil.
What are 3 ways in which a pathogen can reach a plant?
Wind; water movement; soil movement; seed; insect vector; carried on clothing, tools or machinery.
What conditions cause stomata to close & how does this affect photosynthesis?
Anything that causes the leaf to loose water causes stomata to close; lack of water in the soil, excessive heat, wind. Photosynthesis is reduced when stomata close because CO2, which is necessary for photosynthesis, cannot move into the leaf.
What are the common and scientific names for the plant family that includes tomatoes?
Nightshade, Solanaceae
Explain how the flower structure of tomatoes makes them mostly self pollinated.
The stamens form a cone surrounding the pistil and the pollen is released on the inside of the cone, next to the stigma of the pistil.
Describe a fibrous root system and a tap root system and give an example of a plant with each.
Fibrous: many small roots spreading out under the plant. grasses, onions, coconuts, most monocots. Tap: one large root with smaller secondary roots branching off of it. Carrots, turnip, sunflower, lettuce, most dicots.
What are 3 ways that a pathogen can survive from one season to the next?
In an alternate host, in an insect, in crop residue, in seed, in soil, in a warmer climate.
At what temperature do we store tomatoes and why?
50 to 60 degrees F. Too hot or cold decreases flavor and quality.