Case detail
Protected Tomato Quality
Same greenhouse, same variety and identical management. The trial plot shows glossy, firmer fruit with a longer shelf life and markedly less cracking and blossom-end rot.
Headline result
Brix +1.6° with 12 days longer shelf life
Key metrics
| Metric | Control (conventional) | Trial (Triargo programme) |
|---|---|---|
| Brix | 6.2 | 7.8 ° |
| Marketable yield | 78% | 92% |
| Cracking rate | 9% | 2% |
| Picking period | — | + 12 d |
Trial conditions
The trial was carried out in a multi-span greenhouse at the Sunji Street vegetable demonstration park in Shouguang. The soil is cinnamon soil with pH 7.0, 1.8% organic matter, 128 mg/kg available N and 142 mg/kg available K. Variety Provence, 2,200 plants per mu, planted in December, with four fruit trusses harvested from mid-March to June.
Application programmes
Control (conventional)
Control: fertigation with 60 kg/mu compound as base plus 5 kg/mu balanced 20-20-20 at each of 8 drip applications.
Trial: 60 kg/mu controlled-release fertiliser plus 700 kg/mu bio-organic fertiliser as base; 5 kg/mu balanced 20-20-20 during vegetative growth; 3.5 kg/mu high-phosphorus 10-30-10 at flowering with controlled water supply; 4.5 kg/mu high-potassium 12-6-40 at fruit sizing with 100 g/mu foliar calcium-magnesium; EC calibrated to 1.2-1.8 and pH to 5.8-6.5 before each irrigation.
Trial (Triargo programme)
Conclusions and advice
Marketable yield reached 92%, 14 percentage points above control. Brix rose from 6.2% to 7.8%, cracking fell from 9% to 2% and the picking period extended by about 12 days. Water and fertiliser input dropped around 8%, adding roughly 210 RMB per mu. Conclusion: high-potassium feeding combined with calcium during sizing is the core driver for cracking reduction and Brix improvement, and stable root-zone EC measurably extends shelf life. The programme is recommended for greenhouses targeting above 5,000 kg per mu.
Fertigation management with high-potassium water-soluble fertiliser plus calcium and magnesium during fruit sizing.
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