Potassium and Boron Nutrition Enhance Fruit Quality in Midwest Fresh Market Tomatoes

The tomato fresh fruit market has rigorous quality standards that can be challenging to meet, particularly under highly variable climatic conditions. Information is required about the influence of nutritional regime on tomato fruit and the interaction of potassium (K) and boron (B) in particular. A field experiment was conducted in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate the effects of K and B on yield and quality of fresh market tomatoes cv. 'Mountain Spring' at a southwest Michigan site with well-drained soil (Alfisol Hapludalf, Oakville fine sand). Treatments applied during fruit development included three fertigation regimes (1N:0.8K, 1N:1.7K, and 1N:2.5K) in the presence and absence of a weekly foliar spray of B (300 mg L-1 B). Increasing K concentration in the fertilizer increased K content in leaf tissue, but in some cases reduced tissue calcium (Ca) and B. Fruit quality was influenced by nutrition, as the greatest rate of K was associated with increased crack susceptibility as indicated by a fruit bioassay and a 14% increase in incidence of the defect oshoulder checko in field-grown fruit compared to less rates of K nutrition. Boron foliar spray increased tomato marketable yield and fruit quality, reducing shoulder check incidence by 50% compared to zero-B-treated plants in 2003. Because of yield and quality improvements, B was a cost-effective treatment as shown by partial budget analysis, whereas increasing K nutrition did not provide consistent economic benefits. Moderate K rates were associated with the greatest marketable yield, and the 1N:1.7K plus foliar B nutrient regime produced the greatest quality fruit. Overall data were consistent with the need to carefully evaluate K and B nutrition in tomatoes, in the context of soil type, yield potential, fruit quality, and nutrition regime.