To
prevent the soil borne diseases of tomato, always treat the soil with carbendazim,
metalexil 8% + mancozeb 64% or use copper oxychloride @ 2-3gm per litre of water and treat
the soil in such a manner that almost all the soil gets wet.
Tip 3: Preparing plant in nursery
For preparing plants in nursery 125-150 gram seeds of hybrid
variety and 300-400 gram seeds of straight variety is sufficient. Seeds should be treated
with Thiram @ 3-4 gram per kg of seeds before sowing. Seeds should be always sown on
raised bed and watered with watercan (Zari). Normally for a raised bed, 10 gram of
seed should be used.
Tip 4: At the time of transplanting
Before transplanting water should be withheld for 2-3 days in
nursery so as to make the plants strong and hardy to withstand climatic changes under
field conditions. But at the same time the plants should be watered 1-2 hours before
transplanting which makes easy uprooting of the plants.
Tip 5: Stage of transplanting
Plants should be transplanted after 3-4 weeks of planting having
4-6 leaves and strong stem. Transplanting should be done in the evening or late afternoon.
Tip 6: Plant treatment during transplanting
Before planting plants should be dipped in a solution prepared by
15ml. Nuvacron, 25 gram Dithane M - 45 in 10 litres of water for 5-6 minutes.
Tip 7: Fertiliser dose
Hybrid varieties are vigorous in growth and provides excellent
response to fertilizer. National Horticultural Research Institute (NHRI) Bangalore,
recommend 220 kg Nitrogen, 80 kg Phosphorus and 150 kg of Potash for hybrid varieties of
tomato.
Tomato crop required Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) and
Micronutrients. Following are the RCF units fertilizer viz. Ujjwala (urea), two grades of
NPK/NP complexes branded as Suphala 15:15:15 and Suphala 20:20:0, liquid micro nutrient
fertilizer - Microla and Phosphorous solubilizing (PSB) - Biola are used in tomato
cultivation.
|
Ujjwala (urea) |
| • |
Ujjwala apply in soil between two rows of crops of ring method. |
| • |
Ujjwala (urea) should be applied at the root zone of the plant. |
| • |
When crop is standing avoid broadcasting. |
| • |
Its application after mixing with moist soil, neem cake avoids losses of nitrogen and
improves efficiency. |
| • |
The recommended dose of Ujjwala (urea) is 110 kg/hectare and applied one month after
transplantation. |
|
Suphala 15:15:15 (Ammonium Nitrate Phosphate With Potash)/ Suphala 20:20:0
(Ammonium Nitrate Phosphate) |
| • |
Suphala 15:15:15 and Suphala 20:20:0 are the concentrated fertilizer containing
three/two primary plant nutrients i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus and potash/nitrogen and
phosphorus respectively. |
| • |
Suphala 15:15:15 (335 kg/ha.) or 20:20:0 (250 kg/ha.) in required quantity is used
at the time of transplantation of Tomato crop. |
| • |
When the soils are rich in potash, dose of suphala 20:20:0 as per the soil testing
recommendation may be given. |
| • |
It should be applied at the root zone as a basal dose at the time of planting. |
| • |
Tomato crop whereas Suphala 20:20:0 gives two major nutrients N and P hence it
should be applied where K is rich in the soil for Tomato crop. |
| • |
Suphala 15:15:15 is useful for Tomato grown in soils low in potash. |
| • |
Suphala 20:20:0 is useful for Tomato where the soils are rich in potash. |
| • |
After application of these fertilizers, crop should be irrigated moderately. |
|
Microla |
| • |
For Tomato Cultivation, Microla is used as foliar spray in two equal doses. 1st
dose to be applied after 30 days of planting and 2nd dose before flowering or
after 40 days of 1st dose. |
| • |
Microla recommendation is 1250ml in 500 litre of water. Early morning hours and
evening hours Microla spraying is most effective. |
|
Biola |
| • |
There are phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, which on inoculation can convert native
unavailable soil phosphorus to soluble form and thus make it available to the growing crop
plants. The trade name of PSB is Biola. |
| • |
It has to be applied in soil before Tomato planting, 4 kg/ha.by mixing it with
compost or mixing some portion of soil from the field and apply over the field. |
| • |
Take 1.250 kgs of Biola in a bucket. Add sufficient water to prepare a thick
slurry. Deep seedlings roots in this slurry for two minutes and transplant immediately.
This sufficient for 1ha.area of Tomato seedling. |
Tip 8:
Irrigation
| Tomato is very sensitive to water application. Heavy irrigation
provided after a long spell of drought causes cracking of the fruits. Hence it should be
avoided. Light irrigation should be given 3-4 days after transplanting. Irrigation
intervals should be according to soil type and rainfall , irrigation should be given 7-8
days interval during kharif, during Rabi 10-12 days and 5-6 days during summer. Flowering
and fruit development are the critical stages of tomato therefore, water stress should not
be given during this period. |
Tip 9: Staking
| Staking and turning should be done in tomato for better growth,
avoid lodging of fruits to obtain good production. |
Tip 10: Harvesting stages
|
Tomato fruits should be harvested according to growth and maturity.
Following are the harvesting stages:
|
| • |
Dark green colour- Dark green
colour is changed and a reddish pink shade is observed
on fruit. |
| • |
Breaker
stage- Dim pink colour observed on ¼ part of the fruit. |
| • |
Pink stage- Pink colour observed on ¾ part of the fruit. |
| • |
Reddish pink- Fruits are stiff and nearly whole fruit turns reddish pink. |
| • |
Fully riped- Fruits are fully riped and soft having dark red colour. |
Tip 11: Harvesting time
|
Fruits should not be harvested during afternoon hours. It should be
done at the cool time that is early in the morning or evening. Harvested fruits should be
kept only in basket or crates and keep it in shade.
|
Tip 12: Grading
|
During grading of fruits, damaged, rotten and cracked fruits should be
removed. Only healthy, attractive, clean and bright fruits should be selected. For
processed products, only fully riped and dark red coloured fruits should be taken which
imparts attractive red colour to the processed products that is preferred by consumers and
fetches better price.
|
Tip 13: Maintaining temperature during storage
|
Stiffness of tomato fruit is affected by temperature, during storage.
Hence, it is important to take due care of temperature at the time of storage. Following
is the effect of temperature on fruits during storage. Tomato fruits remain in good
condition upto 21st days at 200C. There is black spot on fruits if
temperature is below 7.2-8.00C. To ripe the dark green fruits 18-210C
temperature is required. If matured green fruits stored at 130C for 2 weeks or
more than 2 weeks it may be rotten and not imparts red colour after ripening. Reddish
fruits remain good at 100C. Fully riped fruits remain good at 9-100C,
and it losses its attractive red colour and storage life if it is stored at 50C
or less than 50C.
|
Tip 14: Treatments for ripening period
|
Ripening period can be delayed by treating the fruits with gibberllic
acid after harvesting. Also for early ripening fruits can be treated with 2 4 5-T,
Kinetin, 2 4-D during storage. If fruits are treated with Rhorol fungicide, fruits can be
ripened earlier.
|
Tip 15: Control of disease during storage
|
During storage to protect fruits from disease incidence fruits are
treated with captan, Dipan and Thiram mixing with wax. Also, during storage if packing
material treated with furafil ripening period can lengthen upto one week.
|
Tip 16: Packing of tomato
Following points should be considered while packing the tomato fruits:
| • |
Packing material should be durable and attractive. |
| • |
It should not be treated with any chemical. |
| • |
It should be perfect and flexible during handling and marketing. |
| • |
It should be remain cool while keeping in cold storage. |
| • |
Packing material should not be affected by water and heat. |
| • |
It should also suitable for local market. |
| • |
It may be of wooden boxes, bamboo boxes, baskets, corrugated boxes, plastic crates and
polythene bags. |