Influence du milieu de culture et du cultivar sur la qualité et la conservation post-récolte de la tomate hydroponique de serre

Plants of nine tomato cultivar (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) of contrasting breeding origins where grown under two growing systems using the nutritive film technique (NFT) and a peat substrate. Planting density was 3 plants m−2. Yield of marketable fruit, culls and four fruit quality parameters (texture, colour, titratable acidity and total soluble solids) were measured at harvest and over 28 d post-harvest. Two varieties were used: Trust, one of the most popular cultivars in Canada, and Cencara a newly released cultivar with long-keeping quality. Over a 21-wk harvest period there was no significant difference for yield or for post-harvest characteristics between the two growth substrates. Trust produced highest yields, compared to the other cultivars, followed by Bounty with a yield 1.6 kg m−2 lower. Bounty and Panther yielded significantly greater masses of marketable fruit than the other cultivars. The new cultivar Cencara showed significantly lower total and marketable yields than the other cultivars, because of the small size of its fruit. At harvest and in storage, Cencara showed better keeping qualities than Trust, while the latter had better eating qualities. Key words: Peat substrate, nutritive film technique, tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.