Tomato Cultivation Management

Worldwide production position of tomato is second highest. However, origin of tomato from Peru and Mexico now it becomes very famous worldwide because of nutrient and multipurpose utilization as a good food source.  It consist high quality nutrient that is very much important for good health.  Daily consumption of tomato for a person can be decreased 60 percent risk of breast, head and neck cancer.

Nutrient:

According to USDA nutrient database consists nutrient in per 100 gm red raw tomato as below.

Energy	18 kcal
Carbohydrates	3.9 g
Sugars	2.6 g
Dietary fiber	1.2 g
Fat	0.2 g
Protein	0.9 g
Vitamin A	42 μ g
Vitamin C	14 mg
Vitamin E	0.54 mg
Potassium	237 mg

In a developed country produced tomato per hector nearer to 100 metric tons in a year but developing countries produced only 20-30 metric tons. In this stage, we have opportunity to increase productivity of tomato worldwide and we should do it.

Climate:

Tomato plants cannot tolerate frost and high humidity. As a worm season crop it required a certain stage climate. In the Seed germination, vegetative growth, fruit set and color development stage of tomato cultivation climatic requirement is different. High rainfall is not suitable for any stage. Optimum level of temperature for tomato cultivation is as below.

Stage	Temperature ⁰F	Temperature ⁰C
Germination (Soil)	68	20
Vegetative growth (Air)	77-95	25-35
Fruit set and development	100	38

Soil:    

Organic matter is very important in the soil for tomato cultivation. Then the soil can hold required water during the fruiting season. Preferable pH rang in soil is 5.5 to 6.8. Clay loam soil is more productive then the sandy loam soil. Soil should be well drained and irrigation facility.

Seed treatment and sowing:

Before planting seeds need to treated with hot water to destroy internal and surface infections. In cheesecloth beg fill seeds and immerse in hot water at 52⁰ C for 30 minutes. Then wash in normal water and spread out to dry. Treated seeds have to sow within 3 days.  Per hector requirement of tomato seed nearer to 500 gm, required soil moisture 18-25 % and oxygen content 10% in soil for good germination.  Sow the seeds at the depth of 0.5- 1.0 cm under the fine sand and then cover the bed with straw. After 4-7 days when emerge the plant remove the straw.

Weed control:

In a small tomato cultivation farm weed can be control with hand weeding. However, farm size is very large then this traditional method will not be effective. Removing the weed increase significantly the production. Pre emergence applications of herbicides found very effective to more production then hand weeding. Plastic mulching is also very effective to control weeds.

Fertilization:

Fertilizer requirement is not same in different land area according to present soil condition. In the selected land, it should be consider its previous record of cultivation, applied chemical fertilizer and so many things before applying additional chemical fertilizer.  After testing the sample of specific soil in the laboratory, required amount of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus are can be applied. Nitrogen increase quality, size and test of tomato. Potassium required for growth. Before planting at the time of land prepare 40-50 metric tons manure required to apply. Modern world encourage using environment friendly organic fertilizer.   

Irrigation:

In the growing stage tomato plants required to irrigation, in this stage soil need to hold sufficient moisture. Water should be contamination free with animal or human feces. General rule of irrigation in the tomato field 25 mm to 30 mm per week. It can be from rainfall or supplemental irrigation. First irrigation required at tillage about 7 days before transplanting and second immediately at transplanting. In the summer irrigation required according demand to control of wet soil in the tomato field at the intervals of 5 to 10 days.   

Insects:

       Tomato fruit borer:

The fruit borer attacks in tomato all stage of development. They spoiled by borrowing tomato. To control this insect attacks fruits should be destroy, and authorized spray can be use after every 7 to 10 days. Stop spray before 14 days of harvesting.    

       Aphids:

Aphids are winged or wingless insects and look like green or gray. Mainly they attack in the leaf of tomato plants. Aphids transmit virus dieses in tomato.

      Leaf miner:

Leaf miner is short generation insect. In the warm eggs to eggs time only two weeks, but they reproduce all year around. Its larva feed inner tissue of leaf.

       Mealy bug:

Matured mealy bug look like white and new borne is yellow.

Any insecticide should apply with advice specialist and government authorized consultant.      

       White fly:

White fly color appears actually yellow. They damage indirectly by transmitting leaf curl virus disease in tomato plants.

To control white fly can be spray insecticide.

Disease:

    Damping off:

Damping off is fungal dieses in tomato plant. It occur causing decay seeds or seedling. After emerge seedling eventually wilt and fall. Stem becomes soft and roots become affected.

To control this disease use best quality seeds, avoid overcrowding in the seed bad. Control optimum moisture in the seed bad. Sterilize the soil with fungicide before sowing.

     Wilt:

Wilt disease grow from bacteria or some time from fungus. Wilt disease protect plant to absorb water from soil as a result plants become wilt. You can easily distinguish cause of wilt bacterial or fungal. Cut a wilt infected stem and put in water for 3-5 minutes, if diseased caused by bacteria then white milky slime flow from infected stem to water. If they infected by fungus then cutting inside of stem shown brown color.

To control wilt disease use resistant varieties seed. Select land with well drainage system. Remove infected plants and burn it. Before planting the soil need to treated with fumigation.

   Tomato Mosaic:

Tomato mosaic is a viral disease. It can be attack any growing stage in tomato plants. One of the   symptoms is mottled areas on the leaves. In the early stage infected plants growth become stunt and yellowish leaves may be curled. Infected fruits become whitish spotted. Some of insects are carrier of mosaic virus. It also transmitted by workers or machineries.

     Treating seeds with dry at 78⁰ C for 2 days tomato mosaic disease can be control. Before    handling   the tomato plants wash hands with soap.               

 Late blight:

      The symptom of the late blight disease are banding down of the leaf, lesions on the leaves and stems. Any growing stage can be attack this disease. Germ of this disease can be scattered by storm from long distance.To control late blight use fungicide spray regularly.    

       Early blight:

The symptom of early blight disease appears brownish, black lesions on the older leaves. Yellow area surrounds the spot. The fruits also become infected and infected fruits fall down in early stage.

Germ of this disease can be scattered by infected seeds, soil and weeds. Wind, water and insects also can be spread spore of this fungal disease.

        To control use disease free seeds. Destroy all of plants after harvest. Use authorized fungicide spray regularly. 

       Root knot:

The symptom of root knot is galls in tomato roots, cause of worm.  Galls can be size from pinhead to 3 cm in diameter. Worms lived in depth of 60 cm of soil; they enter inside the roots and absorb juice from roots. Above ground symptoms are stunning, wilting and off colored appearance of plants.

To control root knot dry the land very well. Rotate with non-host crop. Use steam or chemical treatment in soil.

      Leaf curl:

Symptom of this disease is leafs are reduce in size, abnormal shape, downward curving and upward curving. Whiteflies are carrier of virus that cause of leaf curl in tomato plants.

To control the disease remove and destroy the infected plant regularly. Avoid cultivation host crop of white fly nearer to tomato plant.

Harvesting:   

Harvesting tomato depends on species, duration of culture, local market or purpose of export. For export and long distance market picked at the green stage. If market is local or nearer then can picked pink or full red color. Using chemical for artificial color is very much harmful for human health.