PHOTOSYNTHETIC EFFICIENCY OF TOMATO PLANTS SUBMITTED TO CALCIUM SILICATE APPLICATION

The objective was to evaluate the effect of calcium silicate on the chlorophyll content and gas exchange of two tomato hybrids. The design used was in randomized blocks in a 2x5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The first factor was composed of two tomato hybrids: Ivety and Natalia, and the second factor was composed of five doses of calcium silicate (0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 kg ha -1 ), applied to the substrate before planting the seedlings. Gas exchange: net CO 2 assimilation rate ( A ), leaf transpiration rate ( E ), stomatal conductance ( gs ), internal CO 2 concentration ( Ci ), water-use efficiency (WUE), intrinsic efficiency water use (iWUE), and instant carboxylation efficiency (ACi); SPAD index and the levels of chlorophylls a, b, and total were evaluated. The analyzes were performed in the stages of first flowering (17 days after transplanting - DAT), full flowering (58 DAT), and full fruiting (78 DAT). At 17 DAT, no difference was observed for gas exchange variables and photosynthetic pigments. The application of calcium silicate reduced gas exchange and photosynthetic pigments at 58 DAT. The hybrid Natalia had the highest A , WUE, iWUE, and ACi at 78 DAT. However, the hybrid Ivety in the same growth stage, in full fruiting, was superior only for the internal concentration of CO 2 and SPAD index, with no difference for photosynthetic pigments.