Characterization of Mineral Interactions in Two Varieties of Lycopersicum esculentum L. Produced Organically and Enriched Naturally with Fe and Zn

Plants need certain micronutrients for normal and healthy growth, namely iron and zinc. However, Fe and Zn have low kinetic mobility in soils and in plants. In fact, in tomatoes plants, Fe showed low mobility in phloem and due to soil interactions, that can reduce Fe uptake, foliar spraying is one of the most effective strategies to deal with this soil-plant interaction. Nevertheless, foliar sprayings with Zn presented an increase in its content in the edible part of plants. In this context, nutrient interactions were monitored in two commercial varieties (“chucha” and “maçã”) of Lycopersicum esculentum L. after two foliar sprays with a mix of two products of Fe and Zn (treatment 1 and 2), following an organic production mode. In leaves of the two varieties, Zn showed a higher content in treatment 1. Yet, considering Fe, “maçã” variety also showed a higher content in treatment 1, unlike “chucha” variety, which presented a higher content in treatment 2. Regarding tomatoes of “maçã” variety, Zn showed an antagonistic trend with Ca, K and S. In conclusion, after two foliar sprays of Fe and Zn, in tomatoes, there was possible to identify a nutrient interaction between other minerals mainly in “maçã” variety, although both varieties were produced under the same soil conditions.