Research Reveals Impact of Watering Practices on Tomato Plant Health

The American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published a study that examined the impact of watering practices on tomato plants. Researchers found that the size of the water droplets sprayed on tomato plants affected both plant growth and resistance to pests and pathogens. According to a press release, the researchers sprayed tomato plants with water twice daily and compared the effects of small droplets (200 micrometers, about the size of a computer monitor pixel) and large droplets (1,000 micrometers, about the diameter of a pinhead) versus no spray. Plants sprayed with large water droplets were shorter and more compact, but fruit yield and quality were similar among the three groups. However, plants sprayed with large water droplets showed significant changes in hormones involved in plant defenses, resulting in increased resistance to destruction by moth larvae or gray mold compared to plants that weren’t sprayed. The researchers concluded that treatment with sprayed water droplet might protect tomato plants from insect predation and fungal infection without increased use of chemical pesticides.