Tomato is important commercial vegetable crop of India and is second most important crop of world after Potato. Fruits are eaten raw or in cooked form. It is rich source of Vitamin A, C, Potassium and Minerals. It is used in soup, juice and ketch up, powder. The major tomato producing states are Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

In Maharashtra, near about Fifty Thousand hectare area is under tomato cultivation with production of 1lakh ton. Nashik, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmednagar and Chandrapur are major tomato growing districts, contribute about 75% of total production. 
 

It can grow in varied type of soil ranging from Sandy loam to clay, black soil and red soil having proper drainage. It gives best result when grown under well drained sandy soil with high organic content. For good growth pH of soil should be 7-8.5. It can tolerate moderate Acidic and saline soil. Avoid cultivation in high acidic soils. For early crops, light soils are beneficial where for heavy yields clay loam and silt-loam soils are useful.

Pusa 120: Variety developed by IARI, New Delhi. Fruits are medium dwarf, smooth, attractive with yellow stem. It is resistant to nematodes. 

Bhagyashri: Less seeded variety with dark red attractive color fruits. Gives average yield of 20-24ton per acre.

Fule Raja: Hybrid resistant to tomato leaf curled. Fruits are orange, red color. Gives average yield of 22-24ton per acre.

Rajashree: Orange color fruits. Gives average yield of 20-24ton per acre.
    
Dhanashree: Resistant to leaf curled virus and wilt disease. Gives average yield of 20-24ton per acre.

Pusa Rubi: Variety developed by IARI, New Delhi. Suitable for spring as well as winter season cultivation. Gives average yield of 133qtl/acre.

Pusa Sheetal: Suitable for early spring. Fruits are medium size with flattish round shape. Gives average yield of 140qtl/acre.
 
Pusa Hybrid 4: compact and dense dark foliage. Fruits round smooth with average weight of 70-80gm. Gives average yield of 170-180qtl/acre.

Arka Anyanya: High yielding hybrid. Give resistance to leaf curl virus. Fruits are deep red color, round and medium.
 
Arka Vikas: Fruits are medium, large gives deep red color on ripening. Suitable for rainy as well as for irrigated areas. Gives average yield of 140qtl/acre.

Arka Abha: Fruits are resistant to bacterial wilt. Suitable for fresh market. Gives average yield of 172qtl/acre.

Kashi Hemant: Fruits are shiny red, round. Gives average yield of 160-165qtl/acre.

Hisar Lalit: Ready to harvest in 65 to 70days. It is resistant to root knot nematodes. Gives average yield of 100-110qtl/acre.

Arka Saurabh: Medium heighted variety with big fruits. It is resistant to fruit cracking. Gives average yield of 120-140qtl/acre.

HS 101: Suitable for growing in North India during winter condition. Plants are dwarf. Fruits are round and medium size and Juicy. Fruits are borne in cluster. It is resistant to Tomato Leaf Curl Virus.

HS 102: Early maturing variety. Fruits are small to medium in size, round and juicy.

Hisar Arun (Selection 7): Early variety and ready for first harvesting within 70days after transplanting. Number of fruits are more and medium to large size. It gives average yield of 100qtl/acre.
 

Tomato seeds are firstly sown in nursery then they are transplanted in main field. For main field preparation, it required well pulverize and levelled soil. Plough land for 4-5times, then planking is done. At time of last ploughing add well decomposed cow dung@60kg/acre mix well in soil. Prepared raised bed of 80-90cm width for transplantation purpose. 

Time of sowing
For Kharif crop, sow seeds in nursery in month of June to July. For Summer season, prepared nursery in month of January-February month. Whereas for Rabi season, sow seeds in nursery in month of September – October month.

Spacing
For sowing use spacing of 90cmx30cm.

Sowing Depth
In nursery sow seeds at depth of 0.5cm and then covered with soil.
 
Method of sowing
Transplanting of seedling in main field.
Sow tomato seeds on raised bed having width of 1meter and length of 3meter, at distance of 5-7cm in rows. To obtained seedling for one acre land, near about 25 raised beds are required. Before sowing of seeds, mix Carbofuron 3G@10gm/square meter with nursery soils. To protect seedling from pest and disease attack, take spray of Mancozeb@2gm/Ltr of water. Four to five-week-old seedling i.e 10-15cm height are suitable for transplantation purpose.
 

Seed Rate
Use seed rate of 140-200gm for preparing seedling for sowing in one acre land. For hybrid varieties, use seed rate of 50-80gm/acre.

Seed Treatment
To protect crop from soil borne disease and pest, before sowing do seed treatment with Thiram@3gm or Carbendazim @1gm/kg of seeds.

After chemical treatment, treat seed with Trichoderma@5gm/kg of seeds. keep it in shade. And use it for sowing.

Before transplantation, dipped seedling in Carbendazim solution@10gm in 10Ltr of water. 
 

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

For hybrid, apply Nitrogen@120kg, Phosphorus@60kg and Potash@60kg per acre.

For varieties, apply Nitrogen@80kg, Phosphorus@40kg and Potash@40kg per acre.

Three to four weeks before transplantation of seedlings, apply whole dose of Phosphorus and Potash and half dose of Nitrogen. Apply remaining quantity of nitrogen on 15th, 25th, 40th and 55th days after transplantation.

WSF: 10-15days after transplanting, take spray of 19:19:19 along with micronutrient@2.5 to 3gm/Ltr of water. Due to low temperature, plant absorb less nutrient and growth get affected. In such cases Foliar spray helps in growth of plants. In vegetative growth stage take spray of 19:19:19 or 12:61:0 @ 3-5gm/Ltr. For better growth and more yield, Spray with 50ml Brassinolide per acre in 150Ltr of water at 40-50days after transplanting for two times at 10days intervals.

Obtain good fruit quality along with good yield, take spray of 12:61:00 (Monoammonium Phosphate)@10gm/Ltr before flowering. When flowering starts, in initial days take spray of Boron@25gm/10liter of water. It will help to control flower and fruit dropping. Sometime black spots is observed on fruits, these are due to Calcium Deficiency. Take spray of Calcium nitrate@2gm/Ltr of water. In high temperature Flower drop is seen, spray with NAA@50ppm (50ml/10L water) when crop is in flowering stage. Give one spray of Sulphate of potash(00:00:50+18S) during fruit development stage@3-5gm/ltr of water. It will give good fruit development and color. Fruit Cracking reduces fruit quality and lowers prices up to 20%. Take spray of Chelated Boron(Solubor)@200gm/acre/200Ltr water at fruit ripening stage. To Improve plant growth, flowering and fruit set, Spray with Sea weed extract (Biozyme/Dhanzyme)@3-4ml/Ltr water twice a month. Maintain good soil moisture.
 

After transplantation, provide light irrigation for two-three days. In winter, apply irrigation with interval of 12 to 15days and in summer month, apply with interval of 6-7days depending upon soil moisture. Flowering stage is critical for irrigation, water stress during this stage can leads to flower drop and adversely affecting fruiting and productivity. According to various research, it is found that, half inch irrigation at every fortnight causes maximum penetration of roots and thus give high yield. Also, avoid excess irrigation.

After transplantation, provide light irrigation for two-three days. In winter, apply irrigation with interval of 12 to 15days and in summer month, apply with interval of 6-7days depending upon soil moisture. Flowering stage is critical for irrigation, water stress during this stage can leads to flower drop and adversely affecting fruiting and productivity. According to various research, it is found that, half inch irrigation at every fortnight causes maximum penetration of roots and thus give high yield. Also, avoid excess irrigation.

• Pest and their control:
  

Leaf Miner: Maggots of leaf miner feed on leaf and make serpentine mines into leaf. It affects the photosynthesis and fruit formation.

At initial stage, take spray of Neem Seed Kernel Extract@5%, 50gm/Ltr of water. To control leaf miner, spray with Dimethoate 30EC@250ml or Spinosad@80ml in 200Ltr of water or Triazophos@200ml/200Ltr of water.

White fly: The nymphs and adults of white fly suck the cell sap from the leaves and weaken the plants. They secrete honey dew on which black sooty mould develops on leaves. They also transmit leaf curl diseases.

After sowing of seeds in nursery, cover bed with 400mesh nylon net or thin white cloth. It helps to protect seedlings from pest-disease attack. To check infestation use yellow sticky traps coated with grease and sticky oils. To control spread of whiteflies, uproot and destroy affected plants. In case of severe infestation, take spray of Acetamiprid 20SP@80gm/200Ltr of water or Triazophos@250ml/200litre or Profenophos@200ml/200litre of water. Repeat the spray after 15 days.

Thrips: Commonly observed pest. Mostly observed in dry weather. They suck sap from the foliage and results in curling of leaves, leaves become cup shaped or curved upward. Also causes flower drop.

To check severity of thrips incidence, keep blue sticky traps @6-8 per acre. Also to reduce the incidence of this disease, spray Verticillium lecani@5gm/Ltr water. If incidence of thrips is more, then take spray of Imidacloprid 17.8SL @60ml or Fipronil@200ml/200Ltr of water or Acephate 75% WP@600 gm/200Ltr or Spinosad@80ml/acre in 200Ltr water.

Gram Pod borer or Heliothis armigera: It is a major pest of tomato. Crop loss due to Helicoverpa is about 22-37% if not controlled at proper stage. It feeds on leaves also on flower and fruits. On fruits they make circular holes and feed on flesh.

In case of initial infestation, handpicked grown up larvae. At early stage use HNPV or Neem extract@50gm/Litre of water. To control fruit borer, put 16 pheromone traps/acre at equal distance after 20 days of transplanting. Change lure in every 20 days interval. Destroy infested parts. If pest population is high, spray Spinosad@80ml+sticker@400ml/200Ltr of water. To control shoot and fruit borer, spray Rynaxypyr(Coragen)@60ml/200Ltr water.

Mite: Mite is a serious pest and it may cause yield loss up to 80%. These are widely distributed pest observed throughout the world. It attacks on several crops like potato, chilli, beans, cotton, tobacco, curcurbit, castor, jute, coffee, lemon, citrus, blackgram, cowpea, pepper, tomato, sweet potato, mango, papaya, brinjal, guava. Nymphs and adults feed exclusively on the lower surface of the leaves. Infected leaves give cup shape appearance. Heavy infestation results in defoliation bud shedding and drying of leaves.

If Infestation of yellow mite & thrips is observed in field, spray of Chlorfenapyr@15ml/10Ltr, Abamectin@15ml/10Ltr or Fenazaquin @100ml/100Ltr are found effective. For effective control spray Spiromesifen 22.9SC(Oberon)@200ml/acre/180Ltr of water.

• Disease and their control:

Fruit Rot: Major disease of tomato and observed due to changing weather. Water soaked lesions are appeared on fruits. Afterwards they turn into black or brown color and causing rotting of fruits.

Before sowing, do seed treatment with Tricoderma@5-10gm or Carbendazim@2gm or Thiram@3 gm/Kg of seeds. If infection observed in field collect and destroy  infected fruit and leaves which lies on ground. Fruit rot and anthracnose attacked mostly observed in cloudy weather, to control take spray of Mancozeb@400gm or Copper Oxychloride@300gm or Chlorothalonil@250gm/200Ltr water. Repeat spray with 15 days interval.

Anthracnose: Warm temperatures, high moisture are ideal condition for spread of this disease. It is characterized by black spots that are formed on infected parts. Spots are usually circular, water-soaked and sunken with black margins. The fruits with many spots drop off prematurely resulting in heavy loss of yield.

If Infestation of Anthracnose is observed. To control this disease, spraying of  Propiconazole or Hexaconazole@200ml/200Ltr of water should be done.

Early Blight: Common and major disease of tomato. Initially small, brown isolated spots are observed on leaf. Later spots are seen on stem and also on fruits. Fully developed spots become irregular, dark brown color with concentric ring inside spots. In severe condition, defoliation occurred.

If infestation of early blight is observed, take spray of Mancozeb@400gm or Tabuconazol@200ml/200Ltr. Repeat spray 10-15 days after first spray. In cloudy weather, chances of incidence of early and late blight increases. As a preventive measure, spray with Chlorothalonil@250gm/100Ltr of water. Also sudden rain pattern aggravate blight and other diseases take spray of Copper based fungicides@300gm/Ltr+Streptocycline@6gm/200Ltr water to control blight disease.

Wilt and Damping off: Moist and poorly drain soil causes damping off disease. It is soil borne disease. Water soaking and shriveling of stem occurs. Seedlings killed before emergence. If it appears in nursery the entire lot of seedling may get destroyed.

To prevent root rot, drench soil with 1% Urea@100gm/10Ltr and Copper oxychloride @250gm/200Ltr water. To control wilt, drench nearby soil with Copper oxychloride@250gm or Carbendazim@400gm/200Ltr of water. Increased temperature and humidity due to watering facilitate fungal growth at roots, to overcome it, apply Trichoderma 2 kg/acre along with cow dung near roots of plants. To control soil born disease, drench soil with Carbendazim@1gm/Ltr or Bordo mix@10gm/ltr, 1 month after that apply 2 kg Trichoderma /acre, mixed with 100kg cow dung.

Powdery Mildew: Patchy, white powdery growth appears on lower side of leaves. It parasitizes the plant using it as a food source. It commonly occurs on older leaves just before or at fruit set. But it can develop at any stage of crop development. In severe infestation it causes defoliation.

Avoid water lodging in field. Keep field clean. To control this disease, spraying with Hexaconazole along with sticker @1ml/Ltr of water should be done. In case of sudden rain, chances of powdery mildew is more. Mild infestation takes spray of water soluble sulphur@ 20gm/10Ltr of water 2-3 times with interval of 10 days.

Plant starts yielding by 70days after transplantation. Harvesting is done depending upon purpose like for fresh market, long distance transport etc. Mature green tomatoes, 1/4th fruits portion gives pink color are harvested for long distance markets. Almost all fruits turn into pink or red color but having firm flesh are harvested for local markets. For processing and seed extraction purpose, fully ripe fruits with soft flesh are used.

After harvesting, grading is done. Then fruits are packed in bamboo baskets or crates or wooden boxes. To increase self-life of tomato during long distance transport pre-cooling is carried out. From ripen tomatoes several products like Puree, syrup, juice and ketch up are made after processing.