Effect of Fertilizer Rate and Vertical Growing Structure Orientation on 'Sweet 'n' Neat' Cherry Tomato Production

Vertical production has potential for economically providing local, fresh food utilizing limited space.  This study evaluated the potential of a novel, inexpensive A-frame vertical structure for potential use in small scale containerized cherry tomato production.  Plant growth and fruit yield of 'Sweet 'n' Neat' cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersium L.) produced on A-frame structures using 3 fertilizer rates was evaluated versus plants produced using a typical horizontal container production system on a bench.  The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with 4 blocks, 7 treatments, and 18 plants per treatment per block for a total of 504 plants.  Six of the treatments were north and south oriented panels of the A-frame vertical structure each receiving one of 3 rates of fertilizer, 2.8, 4.1, or 5.5 kg/m³, of Harrell's 12-12-12, 4-month controlled release fertilizer.  The seventh treatment was the horizontal bench control receiving 5.5 kg/m³ of the 12-12-12 controlled release fertilizer. The first experiment round starts at Oct. 16^th, 2015. There were two harvest on Jan. 5^th and Jan. 25^th, 2016.  Data collected included foliage nutrient content, total harvested fruit weight, and fruit number at four fruit maturity stages (green, turn, pink, and red).  For both total harvested fruit weight and fruit number there was a three-way interaction between vertical panel orientation, fertilizer rate and fruit maturity, regardless of harvest date.  For tomatoes on south facing panels, green fruit weight and number increased with increasing fertilizer rate, while red fruit weight and number decreased.  There was also a three-way interaction between panel orientation, maturity and harvest date, regardless of fertilizer rate for total harvested fruit number and weight.  Plants on the south facing panels produced more red fruit during the first harvest, while plants oriented north had more green fruit during the second harvest.  The total number of fruit harvested during the first harvest was twice that of the second on the south facing panel.  Only orientation and fertilizer rate affected foliar nutrient content.  Plants facing north had a greater nitrogen content than those facing south.  Foliar nitrogen content responded in a quadratic fashion with increasing fertilizer rate.