Ercan ÖZKAYNAK
Professional

The Issue of Hormone Use in Vegetables

2 Minute(s) Reading
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Vegetable
Summary
In today's vegetable production; The use of plant growth regulators known as "hormones" among the people is very low.
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There is absolutely no use of hormones in vegetables such as pepper and cucumber.

Tomatoes After July 15, hormone can be used in the first two clusters, since there are not enough flowers that the bumblebee used for pollination can pollinate in early plantings after July 15, and the temperature is around 30-35°C due to the season. In other periods (including the cold season of winter), tomato production can be done throughout the year without using hormones.

Until the last 8-10 years, the use of hormones in eggplant production was quite intense. Afterwards, the use of bumblebees in production brought the use of hormones to a minimum. Today, the use of hormones in eggplant has reached a level that can be neglected.

A bumblebee pollinating a tomato plant
There is absolutely no use of hormones in the production of melons and watermelons in the open field or in small tunnel greenhouses or normal greenhouses.

There are honey bees to ensure fruit set in melon and watermelon. Honey bees wandering around in the open field come and pollinate the fruits and ensure the development of the melon and watermelon fruits we eat. In greenhouse production, production is provided by placing 1-2 beehives inside or at the entrance of the greenhouse.

Among the vegetable species, zucchini is the only vegetable that uses hormones in greenhouse production today.
Pumpkin

In zucchini, flowers bloom daily as in melons and watermelons, and every flower is applied with a plant growth regulator (hormone) that is used at a minimum level. In open field conditions, continuous hormone application is not made. From time to time, it is applied from the top with plant fertilizers.

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The most important issue to know about hormones or plant growth regulators is that there has not been a comprehensive study on the negative effects of hormones on human health.

Because the dose used in the hormone is usually one per million, which we call ppm , and the amount of hormone sprayed on a flower is even lower. The start of pollination activity is encouraged by providing a stimulation on the flower with the hormone used. In cases where the hormone is applied more than necessary, for example, the most prominent feature in tomato; It is a large but hollow structure.

The deformities seen in vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, melons and watermelons are not caused by hormones.

For example, when growing an eggplant in a greenhouse, the plant is tied with a rope, and the eggplant stuck between the rope becomes deformed. In the cold period, the fruit color may turn from black to purple in eggplant.

Pickled eggplants

If the weather, which is normal for the season, suddenly changes to the effect of hot or cold weather, spoilage, rough and deformed fruits may occur in cucumbers.

The perception that every vegetable with different color and shape may have hormones is a situation that arises from extremely wrong and incomplete information.
Sources

Ercan ÖZKAYNAK