Research: the influence of leaf picking on crop yield
Brioso conducted research into the influence of picking tomato leaves on the final yield of these tomato plants. In the study, three different treatments were applied to tomato plants:
- A group in which 33 percent of the young leaves were removed and 11-12 leaves remained unaffected.
- Two groups where 55 percent of the leaves were removed, one group retained 8-9 leaves, and the other group retained 10-11 leaves.
All plants were illuminated for 18-19 hours.
The study examined maximizing the absorption of (limited) winter light by spacing the plants evenly. Removing "excess" leaves was also considered, which should minimize maintenance respiration. Finally, reducing energy consumption by reducing ventilation was also considered.
Findings
The plants where 33 percent of the young leaves were removed looked the best during the trial. Removing more leaves resulted in more leaf loss the following year.
Furthermore, the bunches that did develop all had thin stems and were quite weak. The fruit size was also poor. This is largely due to the fact that the weather conditions were completely different compared to the previous year, which generally resulted in less vigorous crop growth this year.
The idea behind this study is to demonstrate that the balance between light and temperature is crucial for healthy crop growth. In late autumn and winter, you should be careful with the temperature and any growth tubes, as otherwise your crops may burn and the fruits may become smaller. As spring approaches, you should stop picking leaves in time to allow the plant to grow stronger.
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