Abstract
Air circulation, generally an integral part of environmentally controlled plant growth chambers, inhibited tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedling growth seismomorphogenically. Tomato seedlings were grown either in a growth chamber having an air movement of 0.5–0.7 m s−1 or in a chamber with no air circulation. Growth inhibition was noticeable with as little as 15 min of daily exposure to air circulation, and a continuous exposure gave the greatest amount of growth inhibition. The air-movement effect on seedling growth was transient and required a continued daily exposure to air movement for growth inhibition. Continuous air circulation inhibited seedling growth to such an extent that in a two-factor experiment (i.e., air movement and water stress) the water-stress effects were completely hidden by the air-movement effect. The results have important implications for tomato plant growth experiments in chambers equipped with air circulation: seedling growth may be affected more by the inherent air circulation in the growth chamber than by an experimental treatment.Key words: Tomato growth inhibition, air movement, seismomorphogenic, short seedlings
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