Tomato

Lycopersicon esculentum
Family
Solanaceae
Chromosome 2n = 2X = 24
Wild type tomato species are thought to be native of
western part of South America and specifically in the
dry coastal desert of Peru.
The tomato is the tropical and subtropical plant
which is perennial in its natural habit, but elsewhere
behaves as annual.

Importance
Important vegetable crop, can be grown:

in most home gardens

by market gardeners
by truck farmers
Out of season (vegetable forcing)

Have important role in health and vigour.

Helpful in healing wounds because ripe fruit have
antibiotic properties.
Good source of vitamin A, B and C.
Have high -carotene, precursor of vitamin A.
Have lycopene that imparts red colour.

Uses
Tomato can be
Baked,

Fried,
Juiced,

Processed into ketchup,

Culinary purpose and
Salad purpose.

Area and Production

In Pakistan (FAOSTAT, 2012)

Area = 55 thousand hectares

Production = 560 thousand tonnes

Average Yield = 10.18 tonnes/hectare

Plant Parts
Nature
Annual to perennial
Roots
It has a tap root about 2 ft. long with several laterals
bearing fibrous roots.

Adventitious roots also develop from stem portion.

Stem
The main stem is erect up to a height of 1-2 ft (in
determinate varieties).
Branches arise from the axils of the leaves which bear
secondary branches or laterals.

Flowers

Plant Parts

Tomato flower is normally perfect.

4-8 flowers in each compound inflorescence.

There is a tight protective anther cone surrounding

stigma leading to self pollination.

Fruit

The tomato fruit is fleshy.

Botanically it is a berry having seeds

within a fleshy pericarp.
The shape of the fruit varies from round,
oblate, elongated, to pear shape.
Color lemon yellow, orange, pink or
mostly red
The young fruit is green due to the
presence of chlorophyll.

FRUIT COLOUR
Carotenoid Level

Plant Growth Habit

Determinate
Flower clusters are borne with one
or two leaves (nodes) between
them.
After several flower clusters, shoot
will terminate in a terminal
inflorescence.
Compact and small (dwarf) plants,
with short internodes suited for
caging.
Fruit tend to ripe at one time or over
a short period of time.

Plant Growth Habit

Indeterminate
Three to four leaves are produced
between flower clusters.
Shoot does not terminate in
inflorescence.
Plant continue to grow in a vine
fashion.

Suited for staking.

Fruit ripe gradually throughout the
season.

Indeterminate Growth Habit

Climate
Warm season crop, sensitive to frost.
It requires long season to produce profitable crop.
Require 80-120 days from seeding to bearing.
Low temperature without actual freezing inhibit fruiting.

Blossom and fruit drop during high temperature and

drought spell.
High temperature inhibit pollination and fruit setting.
Temperature
Nights: 15-20 C
Days: 25-30 C

Difficult to get crop from mid May to June and in rainy

season due to insect and disease attack.

Frost damage

Soil
All types.
Sandy soils for early crop.

Loam, clay loam and silt loam with high

organic matter produce high yields.

pH 5.5 to 7.5.

Seed Rate and Spacing

500-600 g/ha.

Channels 1.0 m apart.

Seedlings on both sides of beds 60 cm
apart.

Time of Sowing
Nursery sown in July/Aug
Transplanted in Aug./Sept.

Nursery sown in Sept.

Transplanted in Oct.

Nursery sown in Nov.

Transplanted in Feb./March

Nursery sown in March/April

Hill crop
Transplanted in May/June

Fertilizers
FYM-----20-25 tonnes/ha
N----100 kg/ha in 3 splits
P---80 kg/ha

K---40 kg/ha

Irrigation
Depends on soil type and climatic conditions.

Warm season
5-6 days on sandy soil
10-12 days on heavier soils

Fortnight application during cold periods.

When temperature gets high--- weekly irrigation.

Period of drought followed by sudden heavy irrigation

cause fruit to crack.
Plant is susceptible to wet feet.

Varieties
Determinate

Indeterminate

Lyallpur Selection I
Naqeeb
Roma
Red top
Nagina
Riogrande

Sahil
Salar
Money maker
Marglobe

Variety Selection
Purpose to raise crop (type of gardening).
Length of growing season.
Yield.
Ability to withstand handling during transport and
marketing.
Susceptibility to diseases and insect-pests.

Harvesting and Yield

Yield can be 20-24 Tonnes/ha
Fruit can be picked after every 2 to 3 days.
Should be picked when start changing colour.
Stage of maturity at which fruit should be picked
depends on purpose for which they are grown.

Immature green
Mature green
Turning
Half-ripe/pink
Ripe

Diseases

Wilt
Both Fusarium and Verticillium
wilt attack tomato.
Soil borne pathogens survive for
many years.
Plants are affected through roots.

Rotation for 2-3 years.

Use resistant varieties.

Fusarium wilt

Root and crown rot caused by

Fusarium causing Wilt

Early Blight
The leaf spots are generally dark brown to black, often
numerous and enlarging, and usually developing in
concentric rings, which give the spots a target-like
appearance.
Lower, senescent leaves are usually attacked first, but the
disease progresses upward and make affected leaves turn
yellowish, become senescent, and either dry up and droop
or fall off.
Dark sunken spots develop on branches and stems of
tomato plants.
Stem lesions developing on seedlings may form cankers,
which may enlarge, girdle the stem, and kill the plant.

Early Blight
Controlled primarily through the use of resistant
varieties, disease-free or treated seed, and
chemical sprays with appropriate fungicides.

Adequate nitrogen fertilizer generally reduces

the rate of infection by Alternaria.
Crop rotation, removal and burning of plant
debris, and eradication of weed hosts

Early Blight

Late Blight
Symptoms appear at first as water-soaked spots, usually at the
edges of the lower leaves.
In moist weather, the spots enlarge rapidly and form brown, blighted
areas with indefinite borders.
Fuzzy growth on the underside of leaf lesions is produced by the
pathogen under moist conditions and consists mostly of spores.

Soon entire leaves are infected, die, and become limp.

Under continuously wet conditions, all tender aboveground parts of
the plants blight and rot away.

Tomato leaves, stems, and fruit are also attacked.

Entire tomato fields may be destroyed.

Late Blight

Bacterial Spot on Leaves and Fruit

Sclerotium rot of fruit

(post-harvest problem)

Pests

Borers
White-fly
Aphids
Jassids
Thrips
Cutworms

Borer in the Fruit

Whitefly
Adult feeding is usually of very
little direct consequence
Adults of B. argentifolii can
cause light spotting of small
fruit.
Adults may transmit viruses,
particularly geminiviruses, that
cause very serious diseases.
The most noteworthy is tomato
yellow leaf curl virus, which
reduces new growth so
severely that there is little or no
subsequent yield.
Irregular ripening
(tissue whitening) due to
feeding of nymphs on fruit

Aphids
Cause cupping and yellowing of leaf
margins

Cutworm
Cut stem of young seedlings at soil line.
Active at night.
Hide under soil or under debris during day time.
May climb and feed on green fruit as well.

Physical barriers around stem.

Viruses
Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus