The Latest Causes and Prevention Methods of Hollow Tomatoes

Tomato fruits are generally large and round, filled with abundant juice inside, but recently some people have found that tomato fruits have developed hollow fruit, which are hollow inside, with irregular hollow spaces, no juice or very little juice, and the appearance is also irregular in shape, certainly not round at all. What is going on here? Let us explore the causes together so that we can find suitable prevention and control methods.

I. Causes

The placenta develops abnormally, the skin is too thin, and there are no seeds; or the skin grows rapidly while the flesh fails to keep up, forming hollow spaces; the skin grows too fast and the placenta development cannot keep up, resulting in deformed hollow fruit; some early-maturing varieties inherently have fewer locules, making them prone to becoming hollow; when low temperatures or extreme high-temperature weather occur during the flowering period, pollen loses its vitality, fertilization is poor, and deformed fruit is produced; improper use of growth regulators stimulates their formation; improper management, with poor coordination of light, water and fertilizer.

II. Preventive Measures

1. Seed Selection

Choose suitable varieties. Try not to choose early-maturing varieties; you can choose mid-maturing or late-maturing varieties. Also, you can choose varieties with more locules and avoid those with fewer locules.

2. Temperature

For open-field sowing, choose a temperature suitable for seedling emergence and growth before sowing. The sowing period can be roughly estimated, and then the sowing period can be determined, indirectly deciding that the flowering period after planting should not be too cold or too hot. In early spring, seedlings can be raised in small arched tunnels and planted in greenhouses. In late autumn and winter, protected cultivation is best.

3. Use of Growth Regulators

To preserve flowers and fruit, some growth regulators need to be used, such as dipping flowers with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Although the flower-preserving effect is good, it causes the skin to grow more slowly than the placenta. Therefore, it is best to use other spray-type flower-and-fruit-preserving agents, such as Tomatotone, which has a good fruit-setting effect.

4. Strengthen Management

During the rapid growth and expansion period, if light is poor and nutrients cannot keep up, the plant's fruit nutrition becomes unbalanced, and the fruit easily fails to store nutrients and becomes hollow. If water and fertilizer are insufficient and nutrients cannot be supplied, the fruit will become hollow. Greenhouse planting can automatically regulate light, and fertilization and water supply should be provided according to the stage.

There are many causes of hollow tomatoes. The three most commonly occurring types of hollow fruit, and the causes of hollowness, have been roughly summarized in several points. There may also be other causes, and some other causes may be discovered during production and planting. Experience can be summarized and prevention can be targeted.