Planting and Harvesting Tomatoes

Sophie Hanson

Mrs. Bennett
Scientific Research and Design
10 October, 2016
Planting and Harvesting Tomatoes
America's favorite garden vegetable, the tomato, although technically a fruit, is grown widely
around the world. From large-scale farms to backyard container pots, this vegetable faces many problems.

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Pest management, disease susceptibility, and planting are just a few, however, planting and harvesting
tomatoes are tasks that have engendered many difficulties, especially on large-scale farms.
Plant Spacing:
The spacing and planting of tomatoes differs due to different varieties, size of plants, climate,
nutrient availability, and management systems. However, in general, for production of commercially
scaled tomatoes, a minimum of 5 to 6 feet between rows is popular with an in-row spacing of 18-24
inches ("Commercial Production Tomato Handbook"). Unstaked tomatoes can be planted at densities of
3,200-5,700 plants per acre and significantly less if staked.
Field Maturity:
Typically, there are six stages of ripeness recognized for tomatoes: the immature-green, maturegreen, breaker, pink, full-ripe, and over-ripe. Ranging from firm flesh and green coloring to soft flesh and
fully colored, these stages signify the optimum maturity for tomatoes. Tomatoes should be harvested at
the "mature-green" stage where the fruit is fully grown and the top side has changed to a yellow-green
cast. Vine ripened fruit generally tastes best, however, for large-scale farming, tomatoes need to be picked
earlier to compensate for transportation and shipping. If picked too early (at the immature-green stage),
the fruit will fail to ripen normally.
Water/Irrigation:
It is important to not underwater or overwater tomatoes. Although water requirements differ
based on plant size, climate, and soil type, the average tomato can use more than 1 gallon of water per day
when the climate is hot ("Field Production of Organic Tomatoes"). Flood irrigation is a common practice
used among large-scale field productions.
Many diseases, such as blossom-end rot, root rot, and leaf curl may occur if tomatoes are
overwatered. On the other hand, not enough water results in poor fruit production, deformed fruit, and
weaker plants that are more susceptible to disease. Overall, consistency of watering is key for maximum
yields as tomato plants are sensitive to extreme fluctuations (Xiukang et al., 2016).
Harvesting:

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The sale of tomatoes, like the rest of the food industry, relies heavily on appearances. Fruit with a
pinky-green color or with scars will not likely sell in grocery stores as well as tomatoes that are mushy
and overripe. To ensure sales, tomatoes should be harvested at the "mature-green" stage with a waxy
gloss, uniform color, and no cracks, scars, or bruising. In other cases, tomatoes can be harvested at the
"breaker" stage of maturity if ripened later with ethylene gas ("Field Production of Organic Tomatoes").
Tomatoes, like most fruit, are most commonly harvested by hand and picked by workers who
transport the tomatoes to larger bins. Harvesting by hand allows for accuracy of picking and less
susceptibility of bruising/injury due to active care. However, this tedious process involves need for timeconsuming labor. While most other vegetables are harvested by using machines, major companies today
are beginning to prototype new robots that can harvest tomatoes more effectively and efficiently than
human workers.
The concern with harvesting tomatoes using robots is that not every plant is uniform. Every
tomato is unique and differs in size, maturity, height, etc. (Feng et al., 2014). In addition, tomatoes are
very susceptible to bruising and injuries, which takes methods like shaking tomato plants out of the
picture. Besides the use of conveyor belts that transport tomatoes to sorting bins, robots are widely
uncommon.
However, major companies and universities are developing new prototypes to deal with these
concerns. One example of new technology in tomato fields lies with Panasonic Corp. Panasonic's tomatoharvesting robot uses advanced cameras and sensor equipment to determine if a tomato is ripe enough to
pick (Kyodo, 2016). In addition, Panasonic is also developing a new robotic arm that can accurately
adjust to the location and shape of a tomato as well as transport the tomatoes to larger bins and even
change buckets without leaving a scratch. The design and technology of the robot allows for minimum
bruising and efficient picking - without the need of human labor. With new technology like this, the
harvesting of tomatoes in the future will be much easier and even more effective.

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Work Cited
"Commercial Tomato Production Handbook." Commercial Tomato Production Handbook.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

Feng, Qingchun, Wei Cheng, Jianjun Zhou, and Xiu Wang. 2014. "Design of structured-light
vision system for tomato harvesting robot." International Journal Of Agricultural &
Biological Engineering 7, no. 2: 19-26. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost
(accessed October 10, 2016).

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"Field Production of Organic Tomatoes." Field Production of Organic Tomatoes EXtension. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

Kyodo. "Panasonic Introduces Its Tomato-picking Robot." Japan Times RSS. N.p., 17 Aug.
2016. Web. 10 Oct. 2016. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/08/17/business/
panasonic-looking-trial-sales-tomato-harvesting-robot/#.V_rOduArLIU

Xiukang, Wang, and Xing Yingying. 2016. "Evaluation of the Effect of Irrigation and Fertilization by
Drip Fertigation on Tomato Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Greenhouse." International
Journal Of Agronomy 1-10. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 10,
2016).