What to Do About Tomato Flower and Fruit Drop? Cause Analysis and Preventive Measures
Tomato flower and fruit drop is a common physiological disorder that seriously affects the yield and quality of tomatoes and causes great economic losses to farmers. So what causes tomato flower and fruit drop? And how should it be prevented and controlled? Let's take a look.
1. Abnormal temperature
During the flowering and fruiting period, both excessively high and excessively low temperatures can affect the development of the flower organs, thereby causing flower and fruit drop. According to data, when the daytime temperature for tomatoes exceeds 35°C, flower drop occurs, and when the nighttime temperature is below 15°C or above 22°C, flower and fruit drop also occurs. Therefore, during the fruit-setting period, attention must be paid to temperature, keeping it around 28°C during the day, not exceeding 34°C, and controlling it around 20°C at night, not exceeding 20°C. During high-temperature summer periods, anti-drop agents can be sprayed to protect flowers and fruits, but attention must be paid to the concentration, and the solution should not be applied to young leaves or young stems to avoid phytotoxicity.
2. Excessive vegetative growth
In summer, under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions, as long as fertility is sufficient, plants are very prone to excessive vegetative growth, ultimately causing flower and fruit drop. Therefore, in summer, attention should be paid to strengthening ventilation during the day to reduce humidity, while installing shade nets and other facilities to increase the day-night temperature difference. At the same time, fertilizer application should be well controlled, especially nitrogen fertilizer. During the flowering and fruiting period, potassium fertilizer and boron fertilizer should be applied more, and nitrogen fertilizer should be applied sparingly or not at all, which can improve the fruit-setting rate. Finally, foliar fertilizer spraying methods can be used to spray chlormequat or daminozide to control plant growth and reduce flower and fruit drop.
3. Boron deficiency
In many cases, tomato flower and fruit drop is caused by boron deficiency. There are many reasons for boron deficiency in plants, and the best method is to apply more boron fertilizer. Borax can be mixed into the base fertilizer, generally 1 kg per mu, and at the same time during the flowering period, a foliar spray method can be provided, using 250 g of borax diluted in water per mu for spraying, which can quickly supplement the plant's boron needs and avoid flower and fruit drop.
4. Improper humidity
Too much or too little water can also cause flower and fruit drop in plants. When there is too much soil moisture, it easily causes excessive vegetative growth, leading to flower drop; while when there is a lack of water and drought, it easily causes flower and fruit drop. Generally, during flowering and fruiting, the soil moisture content should be maintained at 75%, and ventilation should be strengthened to reduce and control humidity, keeping humidity at 60%. When watering during drought, be careful not to use flood irrigation; small amounts of frequent watering are preferable.
The above is an introduction to the causes of and preventive measures for tomato flower and fruit drop. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.