TOMATO
Botanical Name Solanum lycopersicum
Family Solanaceae
Chromosome Number 2n = 24
INTRODUCTION
• Widely grown warm season vegetable
• Important protective food
• Grown during off season in hills
• Originated in Peruvian and Mexican region
• Introduced in India by Portuguese
USES
Tomato is generally consumed as salad, cooked or
processed food. It adds taste, colour and flavour to
cooked vegetables.
Processed products like juice, ketchup, paste, pickles,
powder, puree, sauces, soup can be prepared from
tomato.
Seed contain 24 % oil.
Lycopene present in tomato fruit is associated with
low risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Medicinal properties as anti oxidants, Promotes
gastric secretion, removes constipation.
Acts as intestinal antiseptic and as blood purifier.
CLIMATE
Tomato is a warm season crop
It is neither tolerant to frost nor to
waterlogged condition
The optimum range of temperature is 20-
240 C.
Lycopene is highest at 21-240 C.
SOIL
A well drained loamy soil is ideal for its
growth
For early crop, a sandy loam soil is the best
The best soil pH is 6-7
Tomato can be grown on variety of soils
but better yield is obtained in well drained,
fertile soil rich in organic matter content.
GROWING SEASON
Seed sowing in the plains is done thrice during the year
For Rainy season crop: June-July
For Winter season crop: Sept-Oct.
For Summer season crop: Jan-Feb.
In hills the seed sowing depend upon the elevation of the
place
Lower hills: Feb-March
Higher hills: March-April
SEED RATE
For OP varieties: 300-400 g/ha
For Hybrids: 100-150 g/ha
NURSERY RAISING
Approximately 200 m2 area is sufficient for raising the seedlings to plant 1 ha area.
Nursery beds are 5-7 m long, 1-1.2 m width and 10-15 cm height.
Well decomposed FYM is properly mixed into the top soil of the bed @ 3 kg/m2.
A fertilizer mixture of 0.5 kg NPK of [Link] per bed is mixed in the soil at least 10 days
before sowing the seeds.
Soils to be treated with Dithane M-45 or Formalin solution (1.5-2%).
Against soil borne insects soils to be treated with Malathion 5% Dust @ 20 g/10m2 area
Seeds are to be treated with Captan or Thiram @ 2 g/kg of seed.
The seeds are sown in line at 5-7.5 cm between rows
After sowing beds are covered with a thin layer of compost and cover with dry grasses.
Regular light watering is essential through water can.
The seedlings get ready for transplanting after 4-6 weeks of seed sowing or when the
seedlings attain 10-15 cm height.
Beds should be soaked properly before 6 hours of lifting the seedlings to facilitate maximum
retention of roots and plant turgidity.
FIELD PREPARATION
4-5 ploughings to be done
TRANSPLANTING
Seedlings should be hardened before
transplanting. This is done by gradual
withholding water for 5-7 days so as to
reduce the available moisture to 20%.
SPACING
Different spacings are followed such as 60 x
45 cm; 75 x 60 cm and 75 x 75 cm on flat and
raised beds.
MANURES AND FERTILIZERS
The requirement of manures and fertilizers
varies with soil type, soil pH, variety/hybrid to
be grown, growing conditions and irrigation
facilities.
Recommended dose of fertilizers for hybrids
and other varieties
Inputs Hybrids Other
varieties
FYM 25 tons 15-20 tons
N 180 kg 120 kg
P2O5 150 kg 80 kg
K2O 120 kg 50 kg
Half dose of nitrogen and full dose of
phosphorus and potash should be applied as
basal and remaining half of nitrogen may be
applied as top dressing in two equal splits i.e.
30 and 45 days of transplanting.
Application of 20-25 kg Borax and 0.5%
ZnSO4 is beneficial for yield and quality of fruit.
IRRIGATION
Irrigate the crop at an interval of 3-4 days
during summer and 10-15 days during winter.
Furrow irrigation is most widely used to
irrigate in India.
Drip irrigation increases the yield as
compared to furrow method.
Sprinkler irrigation is also being
popularized now a days for irrigation which is
more economical.
Irrigation following a period of moisture
stress during fruit development leads to
blossom end rot.
WEED MANAGEMENT
Two hand weeding in the 1st and 3rd
fortnight after transplanting is essential.
Application of pre emergence
herbicides like Metribuzin at 0.35 kg/ha or
Fluchloralin at 1.25 kg/ha may be done.
STAKING
In case of indeterminate varieties, the
yield and quality of fruit is improved by
staking the plants with wooden sticks.
Staking not only increases the yield and
improve its quality but also reduces the
infection by fungal diseases.
MULCHING
Mulches are used to reduce or increase the
temperatures which suppress weed growth
and conserves soil moisture.
Organic mulches like straw can reduce the
soil temperature during summer season.
Plastics are used to increase the soil
temperature during winter season for
maintaining the optimum temperature which
is required for good growth, flowering,
fruiting and quality of tomato.
HARVESTING AND YIELD
In case of Indeterminate cultivars, fruits
are harvested 70-100 days after planting
while in determinate cultivars fruits are
harvested at 70 days after planting.
According to the use of fruits they are
harvested in following stage:
1) Green Stage: For distant markets.
HARVESTING AND YIELD
2) Pink Stage: For local markets.
3) Ripe Stage: For home or table use.
4) Full ripe Stage: For consumtion or used
for canning and pickling.
HARVESTING AND YIELD
The yield varies greatly according to
varieties or season. On an average yield of
open pollinated varieties ranges from 20-
25 t/ha. Hybrid varieties may yield upto
50 t/ha or more under normal conditions.
VARIETIES AND HYBRIDS
Pusa Raby Pusa Sheetal
Pusa Hybrid 1 Pusa Hybrid 2
Pusa Hybrid 4 Hisar Anmol
Hisar Lalit Punjab Chhuhara
Pant T-1 Arka Vikas
Arka Saurabh Arka Rakshak
Arka Abhijit Swarna Naveen
Swarna Lalima Kashi Amrit
Kashi Hybrid-1
Rupali
Avinash-2
NS-2530
Naveen
Rashmi
PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Blossom end rot:
Brown water soaked discoloration appears at the blossom end of the fruit while
the fruits are still green.
The spots enlarge and darken rapidly and the affected portion of the fruit
becomes sunken, leathery and dark coloured.
Reasons:
Sudden change in the rate of transpiration specially in moisture stress condition.
Calcium deficiency
Control:
Increasing the frequency of irrigation
Liming decreases the incidence
Single foliar spray of 0.5% calcium chloride
(CaCl2) at the time of fruit development
PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Fruit cracking
Radial cracking: Surface of the fruit cracks radially from the stem end of the fruit
Concentric cracking: Surface of mostly mature green fruits cracks concentrically
around the shoulder of the fruit.
Radial cracking is more common and causes greater loss than concentric cracking. It
is due to:
Irrigation or rainfall after a long dry spell
Boron deficiency
Genetic factor
Control:
Irrigation at regular interval
Pruning and staking during summer season should be avoided
Spraying seedlings before transplanting with 0.3-0.4% borax solution and
repeating the sprays at the time of fruiting, 15 days after second spray and at fruit
ripening stage
Growing resistant varieties like Sioux, Punjab Chhuhara, Pusa Ruby, Arka Saurabh,
Pant T1 etc.
PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Puffiness
Outer wall of the grown up fruits continues to develop normally but growth of the
remaining internal tissues is retarded resulting in partially filled fruit which is light in
weight and lacks in firmness. Cross section of the affected fruit shows emptiness of
pockets.
Reasons:
Non fertilization of ovules
High temperature and high soil moisture are the primary factors responsible for
this disorder
Deficiency of boron enhances puffiness
Control:
Over irrigation should be avoided
Less nitrogen should be applied
Spraying of 0.3-0.4% borax solution
