Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Blossom-End Rot (BER) is a highly prevalent non-parasitic physiological disorder affecting solanaceous crops, especially tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
It causes a flat, black, leathery, sunken area to develop at the blossom end (distal end) of the fruit, rendering it unmarketable.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Blossom-End Rot is directly caused by a localized ______Calcium (Ca) deficiency______ in the developing fruit tissues.
Calcium is a crucial structural component of plant cell walls, where it binds with pectin to form calcium pectinate in the middle lamella, providing structural integrity.
Calcium is an immobile nutrient that moves through the plant solely via the transpiration stream in the xylem.
If water transport is interrupted (due to fluctuating soil moisture, drought, or high salinity), calcium fails to reach the rapidly growing distal end of the fruit.
This results in cell wall breakdown, cell membrane collapse, and localized tissue death (necrosis) at the blossom end, turning into the characteristic dry black patch.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Blossom-End Rot in tomato is caused by calcium deficiency, which corresponds to option (C).