Water Temperature Affects on the Emergence of Tomato Seedlings
Open Access
Author:
Stitzel, Alicia
Area of Honors:
Plant Sciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Elsa Sanchez, Thesis Supervisor Dennis R Decoteau, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Emergence Seedling Water Temperature Tomato
Abstract:
Tomatoes are a staple in food dishes around the world (OECD, 2017). They are very popular and can usually be found in home gardens. These plants are either started from seed in the garden or started in a greenhouse to be sold in a garden center. In order to get a relatively large plant that individuals seek for their gardens, plants need to be started before the spring season. The only way for this to happen is to grow them in a greenhouse or ship them in from an outside source. When growing in a greenhouse each week of growing can be a huge difference for a plant. I wanted to test if there was a way to speed up the process of emergence in a greenhouse using different water temperatures and other physical factors. There were two trials completed each over the course of 14 days. The water temperatures were hot at about 182°F, cold at about 38°F, and room temperature at about 68°F. Each temperature of water had four different treatments- no factors, cling wrap on the pots, the pots on a heat mat, and a combination of the cling wrap and the heat mat. The results indicate that the best treatments for emergence are room temperature water with no factors and room temperature water with a heating mat.
