Application of biopolymer microcapsules in hydroponic tomato cultivation

Rajčica je kultura duge vegetacije i velikih potreba za hranjivima. Iako su biljke u hidroponskom uzgoju opskrbljene lako pristupačnim hranjivima, moguća je pojava simptoma nedostatka i fizioloških poremećaja. Budući da je poznato pozitivno djelovanje biopolimernih mikrokapsula u takvim slučajevima, provedeno je istraživanje s ciljem utvrđivanja utjecaja primjene mikrokapsula s inkapsuliranim bakrovim ili kalcijevim ionima te njihovom kombinacijom s gljivom Trichoderma viride na prinos i kvalitetu hidroponski uzgojene rajčice. Testirani su kultivari 'Abellus', 'Alamina', 'Clarabella' i 'Vasanta'. Tijekom višekratne berbe utvrđen je broj tržnih i masa tržnih plodova, udio netržnih plodova, tržni prinos i kvalitativna svojstva. Kemijskom analizom utvrđen je udio likopena, ukupnih polifenola te određena antioksidacijska aktivnost. Kultivari su se međusobno značajno razlikovali u promatranim komponentama prinosa, dok su tretmani mikrokapsulama pokazali pozitivan utjecaj u odnosu na netretiranu kontrolu. Primjena mikrokapsula s kalcijevim ionima kod većine je testiranih kultivara pozitivno utjecala na praćene parametre kvalitete, što je bilo za očekivati zbog važne uloge kalcija u biljci.Tomato is a vegetable species with long growing period and high needs for plant nutrients. Although soilless grown plants are supplied with readily available nutrients, symptoms of deficiency and physiological disorders are possible. Since the positive effect of biopolymer microcapsules in such cases is known, a study was conducted to determine the effect of the microcapsules with encapsulated copper or calcium ions and their combination with Trichoderma fungus application on the yield and quality of hydroponically grown tomatoes. The cultivars 'Abellus', 'Alamina', 'Clarabella' and 'Vasanta' were tested. During the multiple harvests, the number and weight of marketable fruits, the share of non-marketable fruits, the marketable yield and the qualitative characteristics were determined. The chemical analysis determined the share of lycopene, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Cultivars differed significantly in the yield components observed, while microcapsule treatments showed a positive effect compared to untreated control. The use of calcium ion capsules in most of the tested cultivars had a positive effect on the observed quality parameters, which has been expected due to the important role of calcium in the plant