WhatCausesBlossomDropinTomatoes?

MonicaOzoresHamptonandGeneMcAvoy

TomatoBlossomDrop(PicturetakenbyMonicaOzoresHampton)

Blossomdropisthelossofflowers.Thisisusuallyprecededbytheyellowingofthe pedicel.Atomatoflowerhasbothmale(stamens)andfemale(pistil)partswithinthesame flower.Theyellowstamenswraparoundthegreenishpistilinthecenteroftheflower.Under properconditions,pollenfrom thestamenstransferstothestickystigmaortipofthepistil.This transferrequiresajarringwindoraflickofthefinger orinsectssuchasbumblebeesandother nativebees. Tomatoblossomsareselffertile,andacertainamountofselfpollinationoftomato flowersdoesoccur.Butpollendoesnotmovewellbyitselffromanthertostigma,asevidenced bythereallypoorpollinationseeningreenhouseswhennopollinationaidisgiven.Butshaking bywindormechanicalmeanscancausethereleaseofthepollen,whichdropsdown(the blossomsnormallyhangingdownward)throughthestamentubetothestigma. Thebestpossiblemotiontoreleasethispollenisfromabeethat"sonicates"Sonicationis thevibrationofthewingmuscleswithoutflight,causingthewholeflowertovibrate,andacloud ofpollentobereleasedontothebee'sbodyandatthesametime,ontothestigma. Withoutpollination,whichstimulatesfruitset,theflowerwithersanddies. BlossomDropisaconditionsufferedbytomatoes,peppers,snapbeans,andsomeother fruitingvegetableswheretheplantbloomsbutfailstosetfruit,thebloomsdieandfalloff. Tomatoplantslosetheirblossomsforseveraldifferentreasonsusuallyrelatedtosomekindof stress.Thestressmaybeeithernutritional,environmental orsomecombinationofthetwo. Anythingwhichinterfereswiththepollinationfertilizationprocessmayresultin abortionof flowers.

PotentialCauses
Blossomdropcanbeattributedtoseveralcauses,mostoftenrelatedtoeithertemperatureand/ orstress. Environmentalcauses: 1. Temperature:Extremetemperaturesuchashighdaytimetemperatures(above85o o o F/29 C),orhighnighttimetemperatures(above70 F/21C),orlownighttime o o temperatures(Below55 F/13 C)tomatoplantswilldroptheflowers.Tomatoesgrow o o o o bestifdaytimetemperaturesrangebetween70 F/21 Cand85 F/29 C.While tomatoplantscantoleratemoreextremetemperaturesforshortperiods,severaldays ornightswithtempsoutsidetheidealrangewillcausetheplanttoabortfruitsetand focusonsurvival(Mills,1988).Temperaturesover104oF/40oCforonlyfourhours cancausetheflowerstoabort. Ifthenighttempsfallbelow55oF orriseabove75o F orifthedaytempsareabove85oF,thepollenbecomestackyandnonviable. Pollinationcannotoccur.Ifthebloomisn'tpollinated,thebloomdiesandfallsoff. Chemicalgrowthregulatorscan sometimeshelpovercomelowtemperatureeffects, buttheresultingfruitisusuallyseedlessandofpoorquality. 2. Humidity: Theidealhumidityrangeisbetween4070%.Ifhumidityiseithertoo highortoolow,itinterfereswiththereleaseofpollenandwithpollensabilityto sticktothestigma.Sopollinationwillnotoccur.Ifhumidityistoolow,hosethe foliageduringtheday.Thiswillbothcooltheplantandraisethehumidity.Thisisnot recommendedinareaswithhighhumidityorwhenfungusdiseasesarepresent. Otherpotentialsourcesofblossomdrop: 1. Lackofpollination:Tomatoesneedsomehelptopollinate.Insects,windorhand shakingoftheflowersisnecessarytocarrythepollenfromtheantherstothestigma. Duringextremesweatherconditions,thereareoftennoinsectpollinators. 2. Nitrogen: Highorlowapplicationratesof Nfertilizercan causeblossomdrop.High ratesofnitrogenfertilizationencouragelushvegetativegrowthandinhibitflower productionand/orpollination,resultingin poorfruitset.LowNproducesspindlyvines withlowfoodreservesthatcannotsupportacrop. 3. Lackofwater:Tomatoeshaveverydeeproots, andcan sometimesreach downup to5 feet.Shallowwateringwillstressandweakentheplants.Therootzoneshouldbe uniformlymoistthroughoutthegrowingseasontodevelopalarge,healthyrootsystem. 4. Insectdamageordisease:Usegoodculturalpracticesandtreatfordiseaseassoonas symptomsappear.Fungaldiseasessuchasbotrytisorheavybacterialspotorspeck pressurecan oftencauseflowerstoabort. 5. Heavyfruitset:Whenatomatoplanthastoomanyblossoms,theresultingfruitsareall competingforthelimitedfoodsuppliedbythecrop.Theplantwillautomaticallyabort someflowers.Oncetheinitialcropisharvested,theproblemshouldsubside.

ControllingTomatoBlossomDrop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Growvarietiessuitedtoyourclimate Ensurepollination UsedrecommendedNrates Waterdeeplyduringdryweather Controlinsectanddiseases

Inconclusion,extremetemperaturesandhumidityareoutof thegrowercontrol.Sometimesyou havetowaitforfavorableweatherconditions. Underextremeweatherconditions,noamountof chemical,fertilizer,orsnakeoilisliabletoassistwithfruitsetandcanresultinalargecash expenditureforlittleornoreturn. Ifweatherconditionsareoptimalandothergrowersarenothavingfruitsetproblems,youshould considertheculturalcausesoftomatoblossomdrop.Selectingasuitablevariety,ensuring adequatefertility andwaterandcontrollinginsectanddiseaseswillpotentiallyinsuregood yields.InFlorida,underearlyfallgrowingconditionsgrowers cangetaroundtheheatissueby choosingheattolerantvarieties. References Mills,L.1988.Common tomatodisordersunderdesertconditions.UniversityofNevada. CooperativeExtension.FS8860. Picken,A.J.Fl914.AReviewofPollinationandFruitSetintheTomato(Lycopersicon esculentumMill),JournalofHorticulturalScience.59(1)113.