SUPPLEMENTAL CARBON-DIOXIDE AND LIGHT IMPROVED TOMATO AND PEPPER SEEDLING GROWTH AND YIELD

The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of CO2 enrichment (900 mul.liter-1, 8 hours/day) in combination with supplementary lighting of 100 mumol.s-1.m-2 (16-h photoperiod) on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedling growth in the greenhouse and subsequent yield in the field. Enrichment with CO2 and supplementary lighting for almost-equal-to 3 weeks before transplanting increased accumulation of dry matter in shoots by almost-equal-to 50% compared with the control, while root dry weight increased 49% for tomato and 62% for pepper. Early yields increased by almost-equal-to 15% and 11% for tomato and pepper, respectively.