APPLICATION OF PACLOBUTRAZOL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF “SWEET GRAPE” TOMATOES IN A GREENHOUSE

Abstract

The tomato plant has great economic importance, being a crop of high productivity and added value, despite its advantages, due to the high vegetative development and high susceptibility to pests and diseases, the crop has an intense need for cultural treatments. Among the management difficulties, the frequent need for sprouting, the large size of the plant and the high demand for pesticides stand out. The phytoregulator Paclobutrazol (PBZ) has an action in reducing vegetative development, resulting in a reduction in the need for cultural treatments, aiding management, and a lower demand for fungicides after tomato sprouting. In the present experiment, we sought to analyze the vegetative and reproductive characteristics of tomato plants under different doses of Paclobutrazole, in a protected environment, in the tomato system tutored in the Nova Alta Paulista region. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 5 treatments and 6 replications, totaling 30 plots with 5 plants/plots. The treatments were (in mg L-1 of active ingredient per seedling): 0; 37,5; 75; 112,5; 150 mg L-1. Paclobutrazol was sprayed 15 days after sowing. The use of PBZ proved to be effective to reduce the size of cultivars, not to reduce the length of lateral shoots, to advance and stagger the harvest and to maintain productivity. The use of phytoregulator was efficient to reduce the need for sprouting and pesticides, the best agronomic characteristics were observed at the dosage of 37.5 mg L-1.