Tolerance to aluminum and manganese of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) cultivars

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted, under green house conditions, to investigate the tolerance of tomato cultivars to aluminum and manganase. In the first experiment, six tomato cultivars : "Santa Cruz Kada" - "Angela IAC 3946" _ "Vital" - "Roma VF" - "Pavebo 220" and "Ronita N", were cultivated in acid soil named "Latossol Roxo" wich contains high levels of aluminum and manganase. In the second experiment, the cultivars Santa Cruz Kada and Ronita N which showed differences in tolerance to the acid soil were cultivated in a modified HOAGLAND & ARNON nutrient solution with manganese levels of 0,0; 10,0 and 20,0 ppm and aluminum levels of 0,0; 10,0 and 20,0 ppm. The results obtained allowed to indicate cv. Santa Cruz Kada as more tolerante to aluminum than cv. Ronita N. The sensibility of this cultivar to aluminum is associated with a higher requirement in calcium and phosphorus, with a higher absorption of aluminum and with the effects of aluminum on the absorption of those nutrients. The tolerance of Santa Cruz Kada to aluminum, evem being higher than Ronita N, it can be considered of low degree, indicating that good responses to liming in acid soil can be obtained with these cultivars. For the two cultivars studied in nutrient solution, no detrimental effects of manganese levels were observed.