Gas exchange and yield in tomato with different rods per plant

The objective was to evaluate the effect of the number of sterns per plant in the gas exchange index, in the productivity and in the harvest precocity of Italian tomatoes. It was used a randomized block design in a factorial scheme 2 x 5, with four replicates. The first factor constituted of two cultivars of Italian tomatoes ("Giuliana" and "Tyna") and the second by the number of sterns per plant. At 78 days, it was evaluated the gas exchanges and production parameters of the cultivars. There was no statistical difference between the cultivars for the gas exchange indexes, however, the cultivar "Giuliana" was more productive. With relation to the conduction types, the highest values of the CO2 liquid assimilation rate were observed for the conduction type 3, however int did not result in meaningful results in productivity. The removal from the main stern retards the crop.