Causes of Adventitious Roots in Tomatoes and How to Prevent and Treat Them
Adventitious roots are not roots that grow from the root system, but rather from other organs of the plant such as leaves and stems. Adventitious roots in tomatoes are a very common phenomenon. Usually, when the plant is undernourished and poorly developed, it produces large numbers of adventitious roots to absorb more nutrients. However, too many adventitious roots can have a certain impact on the plant's fruiting rate, so what causes adventitious roots to appear in tomatoes? How should they be prevented and treated? Let's take a look!
1. Improper fertilization
Causes: Most growers do not have a correct method for using fertilizer. For example, when applying base fertilizer they only use farmyard manure, but the farmyard manure is not fully decomposed, and after application it generates a great deal of heat. Or when applying fertilizer in the planting holes they do not control the amount well, resulting in excessively high concentration. All of these can burn the plant's roots and cause the plant to produce large numbers of adventitious roots.
Prevention and treatment: When using base fertilizer, it must be fully decomposed, and then the amount of fertilizer should be controlled. If planting has already been completed, chitosan and similar agents should be applied promptly to neutralize it.
2. Excessive water
Causes: Soil that is too wet, or rainy weather without timely drainage, will cause waterlogging of the plant's roots or bring many harmful substances that damage the plant's root system. It also increases the incidence of pests and diseases. For example, root rot, fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt can all cause the roots to rot. This in turn triggers adventitious roots.
Prevention and treatment: Promptly drain excess standing water from the orchard, pay attention to protecting the roots in the later stages of planting, and appropriately use agents such as chitosan to promote plant growth and improve the roots' resistance.
3. Improper use of inhibitors
Causes: When planting, many growers spray growth inhibitors to control the plant's growth rate in order to prevent excessive vegetative growth. However, when spraying they do not control the amount well, and excessive use of inhibitors greatly hinders the plant's growth. The roots' absorption capacity becomes poorer, prompting the plant to grow large numbers of adventitious roots.
Prevention and treatment: Control the use of inhibitors. Appropriate spraying is fine, but never spray excessively, and spray evenly. After excessive use, a little cytokinin can be sprayed appropriately to promote cell division in the plant and strengthen its growth.
4. Damage from diseases
Causes: Diseases are also one of the main causes of adventitious roots in tomatoes, especially some bacterial diseases. For example, necrosis disease and bacterial wilt, among others, damage the plant's vascular bundle system. Once the vascular bundle system is destroyed, the plant transports nutrients extremely slowly, and in order to increase nutrition it is forced to grow large numbers of adventitious roots.
Prevention and treatment: Do a good job of preventing all kinds of diseases, disinfect the orchard regularly, and promptly remove fallen leaves, fallen fruit and diseased plant debris from the orchard. Agents such as copper hydroxide can be used for prevention and treatment, but pay attention to the dosage.
Adventitious roots have a relatively large impact on the growth of tomatoes, and cause great harm to the fruiting rate, quality and so on. Although a small number of adventitious roots are still somewhat beneficial to the plant's growth, most people simply let the adventitious roots grow, leading to a decline in yield. So when you discover adventitious roots, be sure to deal with them promptly. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.