Question

A vegetable grower notices that his tomato plants are producing fruits with a hard, dark, sunken patch at the bottom (blossom) end, even though he has been regularly applying nitrogen and potassium fertiliser. An agriculture extension officer explains that this disorder is not caused by any fungus, bacterium or virus, but instead results from an irregular supply of a specific nutrient to the rapidly growing fruit tissue, often aggravated by inconsistent irrigation. Which nutrient deficiency is most likely responsible for this disorder?

Q: Answer-A vegetable grower notices that his tomato plants are producing fruits with a hard, dark, sunken pat...

Blossom end rot in tomato results from localised calcium deficiency in the rapidly growing fruit tissue, a condition typically aggravated by irregular soil moisture that disrupts calciums movement to the fruit through the xylem, and is not corrected merely by applying nitrogen or potassium fertiliser, since the underlying issue is calcium transport rather than overall soil fertility.