Impact of Transplants Age on the Nutritional Quality of Cherry Tomatoes

The age of transplants for planting in a local environment is important for better quality cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) production. A field experiment was conducted during the winter (October 2023 to March 2024) to evaluate the effect of transplant age at the time of planting on fruit quality parameters (total soluble solids (TSS), moisture, ash, fiber, fat, pH, and vitamin C) in two cherry tomato varieties: BARI tomato-11 (red-coloured fruits) and Philippines variety (yellow-coloured fruits). Cherry tomato plants were cultivated at four different transplant ages (21, 28, 35, and 42 days old) on the same day, and fruit quality parameters were measured in the ripe fruits. According to the results, there was a significant difference in all the studied fruit quality parameters, except for moisture content, among transplants of different ages, irrespective of variety. The TSS in fruit juice was higher (6.45) in 28-day-old transplants than in transplants of other ages. The vitamin C content in fruit pulp was higher (16.71 mg/100 mL) in 28-day-old transplants, which was statistically similar to that of fruits from 21-day-old transplants. Fat (0.20%) and ash (1.54%) contents in fruits were higher in 35-day-old transplants while the fruit fiber content (0.85%) was higher in 28-day-old transplants, which was statistically similar to that of 35-day-old transplants. Moreover, fruit quality parameters were significantly different between the varieties, except for TSS and moisture content. The BARI tomato-11 variety (red-coloured fruits) was more acidic (pH value of 4.03) and contained higher contents of ash (1.47%), fiber (0.85%), and vitamin C (16.56 mg/100 mL) than the Philippines variety (yellow-coloured fruits), irrespective of transplant age. Hence, it can be concluded that 28-day-old cherry tomato transplants are suitable for producing better quality fruits (higher TSS, fiber, and vitamin C contents).