CARACTERÍSTICAS DO TOMATE DE ESTUFA – CULTIVO EM SUBSTRATO VS CULTIVO EM SOLO

The Portuguese Oeste region is responsible for the production of approximately 100,000 tons of tomatoes per year in greenhouse. The importance of the culture for the region is undeniable and the investment in the sector is essential. Soilless systems have been gaining increasing importance in a crop that is still predominantly conducted in soil, due to its positive results in controlling production imponderables such as soil diseases and problems associated with salinity. In order to evaluate the possible advantage for the regions tomato producers to change from a soil producing system to a non-soil producing system, a comparative study of fruit quality associated with two production systems was conducted: soilless (A) and in soil (S) in Oeste greenhouses. Most of the analysed parameters did not present significant differences regarding the production method, however some differences were detected in important parameters, such as maturation index and total soluble solids that were higher in A, while the fruits of Greenhouse S showed color coordinates that reveal higher luminosity, more yellowish shades and stronger and brighter color.