Crop overview
- Crop type: Annual, warm-season fruit/vegetable
- Growth habit: Determinate / Indeterminate
- Economic importance: Fresh market and processing crop
- Nutritional value: rich lycopene, Vitamin C (20-30 mg/100 g), antioxidant
Agro-climatic requirements
- Climate: Optimum temperature: 21–28°C (day) and 15–20°C (night); frost sensitive; night temperature influences fruit set, high temperature reduces lycopene; fruit set reduces >35°C; and pollen sterility <15°C
- Soil: Well-drained fertile loam, pH: 6.0–7.0; avoid waterlogging, salinity, and heavy clay soil.
Season of sowing (in India)
- Kharif: June–July
- Rabi: September–October
- Summer: January–February
- Protected cultivation: Year-round
Nursery bed preparation and management
- Solarize nursery soil for one month before sowing
- Prepare raised beds of 80–90 cm width
- Sow seeds thinly and cover lightly and cover beds with nylon net to prevent virus vectors
- Daily light irrigation
- Nutrition: 19:19:19 + micronutrients spray
- If wilt appears, drench Metalaxyl + Mancozeb
- Seedling age: 25–30 days with 3–4 leaves and water beds 24 hours before transplanting
Protected nursery:
- Pro-tray nursery recommended (98-cell trays), coco-peat-sterilized media, insect-proof net (40–50 mesh)
- Required for virus-prone, high incidence of sucking pests and rainy areas and nursery structure are shade-net / polyhouse (50-75%)
- Advantages are healthy seedlings, uniform growth, low disease and reduce damping off
Seed rate
- Hybrid 100–150 g/ha
Open-pollinated varieties 300–350 g/ha
- (Seed rate depends on spacing and germination percentage.)
Seed treatment
- Seed is treated with Trichodermaviride @ 4 g/kg seed OR Carbendazim + Mancozeb (2 g/kg) OR Thiram @ 2–3 g/kg
Field preparation
- Deep plowing for fine tilth and planking for a uniform field. Add incorporated well-decomposed FYM @ 25 t/ha. Furrows opened at recommended spacing
Method of sowing/transplanting
- A pre-soaking irrigation is given 3-4 days prior to transplanting. Before planting, seedlings should be dipped in an insecticide + fungicide solution, and transplanting should preferably be done in the evening.
Spacing
- Determinate type: 60 × 45 cm
- Indeterminate type: 90 × 60 cm
- Protected: 100-120 cm bed, 40-50 cm plants spacing
Nutrient management per hectare
Total recommended nutrients: 150-200 : 80-100 : 150-200 kg NPK and FYM 20-25 t/ha
- First dose basal before transplanting: 50% N, 100% P, 50% K
- Second dose one month after first application: 25% N
- Third dose one month after second application: 25% N, 50% K
- Add: 25 kg MgSO₄ if deficiency-prone soils
Irrigation
Irrigation depends on the soil type. In red loamy soil, light and frequent irrigation leads to the best results.
Light irrigation once in a 3-4 day interval is ideally followed in a well-managed plot.
Ensure sufficient moisture at the root zone, especially during the flowering-fruit-setting stage.
Critical stages Flowering, fruit set and fruit enlargement
Layout and planting for drip irrigation and fertigation
- Install drip laterals before transplanting and place seedlings near emitters (not directly on them); transplant in the evening and run drip for 30–60 minutes immediately to wet the root zone properly
- Avoid flood irrigation after drip installation to prevent system damage and poor root aeration
- Emitter spacing are 30–40 cm (sandy soil) and 40–50 cm (loam/clay loam) and discharge is 2–4 LPH per emitter
Fertigation schedule
- 0–15 DAT: 2-3 kg 19:19:19 per acre per week (establishment)
- 16–30 DAT: Urea + MAP (vegetative growth) 3-4 kg/acre/week
- 31–45 DAT: Urea + SOP (flowering) 4-5 kg/acre/week
- 46–60 DAT: SOP + Calcium nitrate (fruit set) 5-6 kg/acre/week
- 61–90 DAT: SOP + Potassium nitrate (fruit development) 5-6 kg/acre/week
- Apply micronutrient mixture throughout crop at 15-day interval
Intercultural operations
- Mulching: Moisture conservation and weed control using black/silver plastic mulch or organic residues help improve fruit quality, reduce fruit cracking, and minimize disease incidence.
- Training and pruning: Staking at 30 days after planting using individual stakes, trellises, or wire systems along with removal of side shoots up to 20 cm from the ground in indeterminate types ensures better plant support, aeration, and higher yield quality.
Weed management
- The critical weed competition period is 20–45 DAT
- Managed through hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAT
- Pre-emergence application of pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha (carefully used in light sandy soils) and post-emergence use of quizalofop-ethyl for grassy weed control.
- Avoid spraying
after transplanting without moisture
Growth and micronutrient management
- Spray Calcium Nitrate (1% solution) during flowering to enhance fruit set and spray Urea 0.5% & Soluble KNO₃ (1%) at 15-day intervals during harvesting time.
Physiological disorders
- Blossom End Rot (BER) – Ca deficiency
- Fruit cracking – moisture fluctuation
- Sunscald – direct sunlight exposure
- Puffiness – poor pollination (manage by boron spray)
- Catface – low temperature during flowering
- Internal browning – boron deficiency
Plant protection—Pest
- Fruit Borer (Helicoverpa armigera)—Causes holes and internal feeding in fruits; control with Trichogramma cards or neem oil (5%) and spray Emamectin benzoate, Spinosad, or Indoxacarb if severe. Spray rotation based on IRAC group and avoid repeated use of the same molecule.
- Whitefly—Causes leaf curling, sooty mold, and virus transmission; manage with yellow sticky traps and spray imidacloprid or thiamethoxam. Spray in the early stage only and rotate with pyriproxyfen/buprofezin.
- Aphids – Cause leaf curling and sticky honeydew; control with ladybird beetles and spray Acephate or Dimethoate when needed.
- Thrips – Cause leaf silvering and fruit distortion; manage with blue sticky traps and spray Fipronil or Spinosad.
Plant protection—Disease
- Early Blight (Alternaria solani) – Causes concentric ring spots on leaves; manage with Trichoderma and spray Mancozeb or Chlorothalonil.
- Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) – Causes water-soaked lesions with rapid spread; control with copper fungicides or Metalaxyl-M mixtures.
- Tomato Leaf Curl Virus (TLCV) – Causes leaf curling, yellowing, and stunting; manage through whitefly vector control and spray Imidacloprid.
- Damping-off – Causes seedling collapse in nursery; control with Trichoderma and treat with Captan or Carbendazim.
Harvesting
- First picking 60-80 days after transplanting,
total 7-11 harvests per crop cycle and harvest stage as per market
Yield
- Open Polinated Varieties: 25-40 t/ha,
- Hybrids: 60-100 t/ha
- Protected Cultivation: 200-300 t/ha (under good management)
Storage
- Optimal storage: 12–15°C, 85–90% relative humidity
- Mature green: 2–3 weeks and Ripe fruits: 7–10 days
- Freezing possible but texture loss occurs (for processing use only)