Cultivation of Tomato (Full Guide)

June 19, 2020

Introduction

in this article, I’m going to tell you about the Cultivation of Tomato

Botanical name: Solanum Lycopersicon
Family: Solanaceae
Botanical Features
Leaf type – Compound leaves
Leaf arrangement – Alternate
Number of sepals, petals – they are 5 petals and sepals
Flower petal colour – yellow colour
Stamen number – 5 stamen
Fruit type – fleshy

Growth Habit

According to the growth of the shoots, there are three growing types
Determinate type (Bush type) – Set and ripen all fruits at nearly the same times. Suitable for cultivated in an open areas
Indeterminate type (vine type) – Continue growing and set fruits over a long period of time. Suitable for greenhouse cultivation
Semi-determinate – Show growth characters of determinate type and indeterminate type

Importance

Use to produce value-added products – Sauce, tomato ketchup, tomato paste
Rich in Vitamins and minerals – vitamin A, Vitamin C
Contain lycopene pigment – Lycopene pigment includes in red colour tomatoes. Lycopene is important to prevent cancer

Soil and Climatic requirements

Soil requirements
Tomato grows well on most mineral soil that has proper water holding capacity and aeration
It prefers deep well-drained soil

Climatic requirements

Temperature – 20 °C – 27°C
Day-night temperature difference – 6 °C
High temperature affect for fruit setting
pH 5.8 – 6.8
Elevation (1000 – 2000m)
Maintaining and develop of the fruit. Adverse climatic conditions may affect for poor productions
High temperature during flower season may cause for
Delaying flowering, poor pollination, Shuttering of flowers, Rapid spreading of fungal diseases
Very low and high temperature adversely effect for the crop

Cultivation

Field Establishment and cultural practices

Time of Planting – mid-march or End of August
Nursery Management
Seed requirement – 200 – 250Kg/ha
Nursery period 14 – 21 days
1m*3m size raised bed is recommended

Land preparation

Selected field should not have a history of a cultivation of a solanaceous crop
Plough the land to a depth of 20 – 30cm
Prepare levelled raised beds to a height of 15 -20cm
Make planting holes
Spacing – 80 – 85cm
Size of hole (1x1x1) /(30x30x30)cm
Incorporate well-decomposed organic matter – 6-12 t/ha

Field establishment

Field establishment is one of the most important aspects of Cultivation of Tomato
Before uproot seeding from the nursery moisten then nursery bed thoroughly
Tray nurseries, potted plants or block nurseries can be used to minimize damages on root
One plant per hole
Planting in the afternoon
Heavy rainy periods not suitable for cultivation
Seeding must be shaded with plant material until they are established

Other cultural practices

Irrigation

Water the plant regularly especially during
Uneven water application leads to physiological disorders in fruits.
Early days irrigate daily. Thereafter watering should be done based on the crop requirement

Weed Management

It should be done in 3 and 6 weeks after transplanting. Straw mulch can be used to suppress weeds

Staking

done before covering
to avoid falling of plant need to provide any support (2-3 weeks after planting)

Training and Pruning

Training and Pruning is one of the most important aspects of Cultivation of Tomato
Indeterminate types
By using sharp knife old lateral branches should be removed

Fertilizer application

(Kg/ha)

	UREA	TSP	MOP
BD	65	325	65
TD1 (3WAP)	65
TD2 (6WAP)	65		65

Fertilizer Table

Pests and Diseases control

Pests

1.Tomato pod borer (Helicovera armigera)

Damage and symptoms – damage to leaves, flowers, bores in fruits
Control – if the damages are not severe collect and destroy the caterpillars. If the damages are severe apply insecticide

Leaf minor (Liriomyza sativae)

Damage and symptoms – large consume internal tissues of the leaves
It may cause for reduction of food production
Control – remove damaged leaves, yellow coloured polythene trap, protect natural enemies.

White fly (Bemisa tabaci)

Damage and Symptoms – they suck sap from the leaves
Control – yellow coloured polythene trap

Cut worm

Damage and Symptoms- cut the base
Control – ploughing the soil to expose to sunlight, flooding the land with water

Cucurbit fly (Bactocera diversa)

Damage and Symptoms – Damage to Fruits
Control – Pheromone trap, deep burring of affected fruits

Nematode attack (Meloidigyne spp.)

Damage – from knots due to damage of female nematodes, adversely affect root functions and nutrient intake. damaged plants get stunted, wilting and pale colour leaves
Control – turning of soil crop rotation, apply poultry manual

Other pests – leaf-eating caterpillars, Aphids, Leaf Hoppers, Trips, tomato bugs

Disease control

Bacterial diseases

Bacterial wilt

Causal organisum – Bacterial
Symptoms – sudden and permanently wilting similar to water stress, the foliage remains green .first wilt younger leaves from adventitious roots at the basal part of the stem
Control – crop rotation, use wilt resistant varieties, soil sterilization

Fungi diseases

Dumping off

Symptoms – Rotting the base of the nursery plants and die off
Control – prepare nursery beds in well-drained virgin soil or subsoil, use fungicides – Thiran, Captan

Early Bright

Symptoms – Symptoms first appear on the lower, older leaves as brown spots with contriving. as the disease matures, it spread outward on the leaf surface causing it to turn yellow and die. The stem, fruit and upper portion of the plant will become infected. fruit can be infected at any stage of maturity; spots on fruits are leathery, black with raised concentric ridges and generally occur near the stem, infected fruit may drop from the plant
Control – apply recommended fungicides, crop rotation

Late Bright

Symptoms – irregularly shaped water-soaked lesions can be observed on young leaves. At the top part of the plant. under humid conditions, lesions become brown. brown lesions can occur on stems and leaf pedicels
Control – ensure field sanitation by eliminating diseased materials, grow resistance verities, used recommended fungicides, remove unnecessary branches and leaves

Virus

Anthracnose

Causal Organism – Fungi
Sunken brown spots on fruits and leaves, discolouration of buds and dieback of plants, affected flowers fall off
Control – crop rotation, field sanitation, destroy affected plants, use recommended fungicides

Cucumber Mosaic Virus (C M V)

Causal organism – Virus
Symptoms – stunted plants, narrow leaves, mosaic appearance and curling of leaves, no uniform ripening of fruits
Control – destroy affected plants

Tobacco mosaic virus (T M V)

Causal organism – virus
Symptoms – stunted plants, narrow leaves, mosaic appearance and curling of leaves, no uniform ripening of fruits
Controls – destroy affected plants

Tomato curly top virus (CT)

Causal organism – virus
Symptoms – stunted plants, leaves curly upwards
Reduce fruit size. Disease spread through leafhoppers. Not spreading through infected seeds or plant parts
Control – vector control

Leaf curl virus

Causal organism – virus
Symptoms – Stunted plants, smaller leaves, straight apical bud, form yellow colour in between ribs, dropping of leaflets, a large number of lateral leaves, no fruit set. younger leaves affected first. Disease spread through whitefly, no spreading through infected seeds or plant parts
Control – vector control, remove affected plants, crop cultivation

Spotted wilt

Causal organism – virus
Symptoms – Stunted plants, mature leaves turn to yellow colour, leaves get copper colour yellow or red colour patches on fruits surface
Control – vector control, cultivate resistance varieties

Physiological disorders

Blossom end Rot

Damage – Dark green water-soaked spots appear at the blossom end of the fruit and enlarge until the fruits begin to ripen. Affected tissues are hard and healthy initially but due to secondary infection, fruit rot can be developed
Reasons – lack of water
Control – properly maintain soil moisture, water regularly to avoid drought stress

Cracking of fruits

Damage- concentric cracks form around the top of the tomato fruit or splitting of fruits
Reasons – Rapid or sudden changes in soil moisture level. Ca deficiency, sudden rain or high temperature
Control – cultivate resistance varieties, maintain soil moisture properly, Supply required amount of Calcium

Harvesting and Post Harvest operations

Harvesting

Harvesting is one of the most important aspects of Cultivation of Tomato

Harvesting indices – when the colour changes from green to yellow should be harvested and 60 – 65 days after planting
Method – Cut the fruit with stack by using a sharp knife
Average yield – 20 -30 t/ha With sprinkler irrigation – 60 -65 t/ha
Harvesting times
Determinate type: 6 – 8
Indeterminate type: 12-13

Post Harvest handling

Collect harvested fruits to a container, do not drop on the soil, do not expose to the sun, do not on the floor, Grading and sorting pack in well-ventilated crates (20 – 25kg). cold storage is suitable

check out my other article: Manioc/Cassava/Tapioca Cultivation (Full Guide)