Tomato, scientifically known as Lycopersicum esculentum Miller
is an important and popular vegetable grown in many parts of the world.
The fruit is used as an ingredient in many food preparations and is
regarded as one of the most profitable crops for off-season production,
preferably from May to September.
Site Selection
Choose a part of the farm that is slightly
elevated
and has good drainage to avoid water logging in case a flash flood
occurs during the wet season. For dry season planting, make a catchment
with a canal directed into it to drain excess water after each
irrigation
schedule. Choose a sandy loam or clay loam soil with a pH of 5.5-8.0.
Growing Season
Tomato
can be grown anytime of the year. In hilly areas, plant tomato from
September to January. For lowlands, plant from November to February.
Grow off-season type and grafted tomatoes (kamlong) from May to
September for bigger profit.
Land Preparation
With
a carabao drawn implement, plow and harrow the area once and twice if
the soil is not in good tilt. Then set furrows at a distance of
100 cm before transplanting the indeterminate type or semi-viny. For determinate type with bushy growth habit set at 75 cm distance between furrows.
Crop Establishment
There are two methods of seedling production: the use of seedbed and seedling trays.
1. Seedbed method
* For 1000 m2 tomato production, use one seedbed measuring 1 x 10 m so
that seedlings will not be overcrowded, thereby producing seedlings with
bigger stems. Cover the seedbed with 3-5 cm thick rice hull and then
burn completely to minimize the incidence of pre-emergence damping-off
on the seedlings.
* Mix 10 kg compost and 100 g complete
fertilizer and incorporate these evenly into the seedbed. Sow the seeds
in small shallow furrows at 20-30 g/10 m2. Cover the seeds lightly with
fine soil. Dust the surroundings of the seedbed with Sevin SP to
control
ants, and spray 1 tbsp of
Vitigran Blue per gallon of water to avoid infection of damping-off.
To ensure uniform germination of the seeds, saturate the seedbed with
water for the first three days using sprinkler until the seeds emerge.
* To avoid succulent stem, regulate watering as soon as the seedlings
have emerged. For the seedlings to have a good start, apply urea at a
rate of 1 tbsp/gal of water at 7-14 days after emergence (DAE). Sprinkle
water on the seedlings using a sprinkler (regador) immediately after
applying the fertilizer to avoid burning effect on the leaves. Drench
the seedbeds with Vitigran Blue at the rate of 1 tbsp/gal of water once
damping-off is observed.
* To produce hard seedlings, water the
seedbed only when plants show temporary wilting (this can be observed in
the morning) and repeat regularly starting at 14 DAE until the
seedlings are ready for transplanting, which is at 25-30 DAE. Water the
seedbeds thoroughly before pulling the seedlings for transplanting to
minimize root damage.
2. Seedling tray method
* Seedling tray method needs only 100 g seeds/ha or 10 g for 1000 m2.
Plant the seeds singly in each hole of the tray intended for seedlings
with potting medium available at seed stores, or bake garden soil for 2
hours. When cooled, mix the garden soil, fine sand and compost at the
ratio of 3:1:1. Drop 2-3 grains of 14-14-14 in each hole before
filling with the soil mixture. Care and maintenance of seedlings is the
same as in seedbed, but transplanting shock is minimized in tray method.
3. Transplanting
* For wet season planting, use one month old seedlings because these
are harder, taller, and can withstand the impact of rain. Transplant
seedlings at a spacing of 0.50 m between hills and 1.0 m or 0.75 m on
rows or furrow right after irrigation water run in the furrows. For
dry season, transplant 25-day-old seedlings.
* To avoid breaking
the stem of seedlings during transplanting on irrigated furrows, hold
the roots with the thumb and forefinger then push towards the soil at
3-5 cm deep depending on the length of the stem. For an area of 1000 m2,
transplant the seedlings on the right side of the furrows for the first
half of the area. For the next half, transplant on the left side of the
furrows. For easier off-barring, use a carabao-drawn plow.
* For
seedlings in trays, transplant each seedling together with the soil
medium from the tray using the same planting distance and method of
transplanting as in seedbed method. If grafted tomato will be used,
transplant the seedlings 3 cm deep to the hole and cover firmly with
light soil. Do not cover the grafted part to avoid infection. Support
the transplanted seedlings with trellis.
Nutrient Management
Broadcast
chicken manure or organic fertilizer before land preparation or at
final harrowing to fully incorporate the fertilizer into the soil (Table
2). Apply 14-14-14 at transplanting so that seedlings will
be healthy and vigorous before flowering. Delayed application
will result in weaker plants and smaller fruits. Side dress using urea
mixed with muriate of potash (0-0-60) for higher fruit setting, and to
prolong the fruiting period of the crop.
Water Management
1. Four to five irrigations
are needed from transplanting to 14 days before the last harvest
depending on the type of soil. Tomato is very sensitive to flooding;
hence, irrigation must be done just to moisten the root zone especially
during the onset of flowering up to the last harvest.
2. The following irrigation schedule must be followed for a 1000 m2 area:
* First : during transplanting (flooding) or hand watering
* Second : 14 DAT (flooding) or hand watering
* Third : at vegetative stage (21 DAT), water at 1 L/hill.
* Fourth : at flowering and early fruiting (30 DAT) water at 1 L/hill.
* Fifth : optional, depending on the appearance of the plants at harvesting stage (hand water if necessary)
3. Irrigate by furrow (quick passing) to minimize soil erosion and to favor high
fruit
setting. Waterlogging for 24 hours will favor the occurrence of wilt
diseases and reduce fruit setting. In the absence of surface irrigation,
water the plants weekly at the rate of 1 L/hill until two weeks before
the last harvest.
4. For
tomato with plastic mulch, water twice a week for the whole crop duration.
Pest Management
Insect
pests and diseases of tomato are managed by using chemical, biological,
and remedial measures. Most of the pests and diseases of tomato are
common throughout the year except thrips and whiteflies, which are
present only during dry season starting in January, declining in May and
ending in June or July depending on the arrival of rain. The farmer or
any amateur grower may try the suggested biological and remedial
measures in managing the insect pests and diseases as presented in Table
3. In case of pest outbreaks, the use of chemical
pesticides as shown in Table 4 is the last resort.
Insect Pests
1. 28-spotted beetle (Epilachna philippinensis)
– This is a small beetle with brownish yellow forewings dotted with 28
black spots. Both adults and larvae are destructive by feeding on the
leaves of tomato and other solanaceous crops. They
feed by scraping the surface of the leaves until it has been skeletonized.
2. Fruit worm (Heliothis armigera.)
– The polyphagous larva of this insect feed on corn, tobacco, cotton
and other vegetables. In tomato, the larva damages the fruit at any
stage of growth rendering it non-marketable.
3. Aphids (Aphis gossypii)
– The insect pest attacks tomato, cotton, and other crops by sucking
the sap of the leaves and stem of the plant. It can also transmit
(vector) cucumber mosaic virus. Severe infestation of aphids results in
the accumulation of their sweet and sticky substances on the infested
plant parts, which serve as a medium for the growth of black molds that
block the photosynthetic activity of the leaves. It is the aphids’
secret toxic substances that result in curling of the shoots and
dwarfing of the internodes of tomato. This symptom reduces the plants’
reproductive potentials.
4. White fly (Bemicia tabaci)
– This white fly is a serious pest of tomato that attacks the plant by
sucking the sap of the leaves. It also acts as a vector of tomato yellow
leaf curl virus (TYLCV) that causes yellowing and curling of tomato
leaves resulting in stunted plants with aborted flower and fewer fruits.
5. Thrips (Frankiniella occidentalis) are minute pests that suck the leaves of the tomato. It is a vector of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) that reduces yield.
Diseases
1. Tomato mosaic Virus (TMW)
– This virus causes mosaic pattern on the leaves of tomato coupled with
curling of the young leaves and shoots. Most of the varieties are
tolerant to tomato mosaic virus and are capable of bearing fruits
throughout their life span but are not prolific as the healthy plant.
The disease is seed-borne.
2. Late blight
– is caused by the fungus. Phytophthora infestans (Montagne) de Bary.
The symptoms are seen as brown spots on the older leaves with yellowish
advancing lesion. Under favorable condition the symptom progress to
upper leaves, stems and fruits of the plant.
The advance stage of
the disease is seen as a whitish growth on the fruit. The disease can
be transmitted by mechanical means while the growth and development of
this fungus is favored by a moist and cooler condition of the
environment. Under severe infection, the plant may succumb to death.
3. Bacterial wilt
– The causal organism is Pseudomonas solanacearum that infects tomato
and other solanaceous crops. The pathogen is either soil-borne or
seed-borne. It invades the roots of tomato then progresses to the
vascular bundle where it interferes with the translocation of nutrients
and water. Advanced symptom is browning of the inner parts of the stem,
wilting of the plant before it dies.
4. Bacterial spot
– is caused by Xanthomonas campestris var. vesicatoria an agent of
bacterial spot, which is characterized by a sunken irregular brown spots
on the fruits, stems, and leaves of tomato (Fig. 4d). Fruits infected
with bacterial spots are considered non-marketable. The disease is
common during wet season
planting
and is transmitted through the seeds. Weeds are some of the alternate
hosts of this bacterium, which becomes latent after the cropping period.
5. Root knot nematode
– This parasitic nematode (Melodogyne incognita) attacks the roots of
tomato that results in the formation of knots and galls on the roots.
Infected tomato become susceptible to other root disease. Above ground
symptoms shows stunting of the plant with moderate wilting as that of
water stress.
6. Fusarium Wilt – the
fungus Fusarium oxysporum is the causal agent of the fungal wilt of
tomato. The pathogen is soil-borne with the similar symptom with that
of bacterial wilt. The only difference is the presence of white mycelia
(thread-like) that grow on the infected part of the plant.
7. Early blight Alternaria solani (Ell. and G. Martin) Sor.
– This fungus incites the symptom of early blight in tomato. This
fungus is prevalent during the cool months of the year, infecting the
leaves, stems and aboveground parts of the plant. The symptom appears as
target-like spots on the leaves. At fruiting stage, infected fruit
shows numerous irregular spots and the disease can cause high yield loss
if not immediately controlled
8. Powdery mildew
– is caused by the fungus Leveillula taurica (Lev) Arnaud. The
symptom is like a white talcum powder on the surface and undersurface of
the leaves. The growth and development is favored by warm condition of
the environment with low humidity. The profuse powdery growth of the
organism covers the surface of the leaves and other parts causing the
leaves to become yellowish then turns brown and die.
9. Leaf mold
– The causal organism of this disease is Cladosporium fulvum Cooke.
It is characterized by brownish spots with molds on the under surface of
the leaves and later coalesce into blight. During severe infections,
the leaves turn brown and die resulting in reduced flowering and
fruiting span of the plant.
10. Blossom end rot
– The primary symptom of this physiological disorder is calcium
deficiency, which is characterized by dry rot with water-soaked
appearance at the blossom end of the immature fruits, It later enlarges
and turns into papery or leathery sunken brown to black rot upon
infection of saprophytic fungi (secondary symptom). Fruits with end rots
are non– marketable.
Weeding
By using a carabao-drawn plow or hand
hoe, cultivate in between rows of plants by off barring at 14-21 DAT.
Hill-up at 28-35 DAT. Spot-weed at the surrounding of the seedlings
after each off-barring and hilling-up if there are standing weeds. If
plastic mulch is available, mulch the area before transplanting.
Harvest Management
Harvest
fruits intended for future use at matured green stage at 1-2 months
during rainy season. Matured green fruits gradually ripen in one month
at room temperature. Frequent harvesting sustains the production of more
fruits. For immediate use, harvest the fruits at breaker pink stage.
These will fully ripen within three days at ambient temperature but can
be slowed when stored in a refrigerated condition.
References: Production and
Management of tomato. July 7, 2008. Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture. http://www.openacademy.ph/.
Tomato Production Guide Technology Option 1
Seedbed Preparation
1. Make seedbed 50 cm apart with any convenient length in an area fully exposed to sunlight
2. Pulverize the soil thoroughly and add compost or dried animal manure at the rate of 5 kg per sq meter.
3. Sterilize the soil by burning rice straw or rice hull on top of the seedbed for 4-5 hours to kill soil-bon pathogens.
4. Drench the seedbed with fungicide-insecticide solution.
5. To protect the seedlings from heavy rains, place plastic roofing.
Sowing
1. Wet the seedbed thoroughly before sowing.
2. Make horizontal rows 5cm apart.
3. Sow 80-100 seeds in every 50 cm row (150-200 g of seeds are needed per hectare).
4. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil and place rice straw mulch.
5. Water the seedbed daily (seedlings start to emerge 3-6 days from sowing).
Care of Seedlings
1. 3-5 days fater germination, prick the seedlings by transferring them
into a tray or seedbox to allow more space between seedlings and
prevent damping-off. In the absence of seedling tray or seedbox, use
paper pots (rolled), “lukong” or rolled
banana leaves, and plastic bags.
2. Plant the seedlings in a soil mixture consisting of garden soil,
compost (or well decomposed animal manure, and rice hull in a 2:3:1
ratio). If possible, sterilize the soil mixture by baking or through
steam.
3. Drench the newly pricked seedlings with fungicide solution
to prevent damping-off. If insect appears, spray the seedlings with
appropriate insecticide.
4. For large scale production, use seedbed.
In this case, pricking is not done. Instead, thinning is done to allow
more space between seedlings.
5. A week after pricking or thinning,
apply starter solution (2 tbsp Ammonium Phosphate (16-20-0) or 14-14-14
dissolved in 1 gal water).
6. A foliar fertilizer may also be used.
7. 1 week before transplanting, harden the seedlings by gradually
reducing the amount and frequency of watering until the seedlings
experience temporary wilting.
Land Preparation
1. Plow and harrow the soil twice.
2. Make furrows distanced at 0.75-1 meter for determinate and semi-determinate varieties and 1.5 m for indeterminate varieties.
3. Place 500g compost or dried manure per hill if the soil is not fertile.
Transplanting
1. Select healthy seedlings with 3-5 leaves 3-4 weeks after seedling emergence.
2. Transplant 2-3 seedlings per hill spaced 40 cm apart.
3. Transplant in the afternoon.
4. Press the soil gently around the base of the seedlings.
5. Water immediately.
6. Replant missing hills 5-7 days after transplanting.
Trellising
1. Trellising is recommended in growing semi-determinate and indeterminate varieties.
2. Use bamboo or ipil-ipil poles as post.
3. Tie the branches to the post and train the vines using plastic straw.
Nutrient Management
1. 1-2 days before planting, apply 20 g 14-14-14 per hill and mix it thoroughly with the soil.
2. 3-4 weeks after transplanting, mix 2 parts of Urea (46-0-0) with 1
part Muriate of Potash (0-0-60) and apply 1 tbsp (10g) of the mixture
6-8cm away from the base of the plants in bands (first sidedressing).
3. Apply another 1 tbsp of the mixed fertilizer two weeks later (second sidedressing).
Water Management
Depending on the weather and soil, water the plants once a week until early fruiting stage.
Pests Management
Pest
1. Use Trichogramma chilonis or botanical insecticides like native hot pepper.
2. Use insecticide only if necessary.
Diseases
1. If the disease is caused by a fungus, spray with fungicide and remove the damaged leaves.
2. If the disease is caused by a virus and bacteria, pull-out, bury or
burn the whole plant immediately to prevent its spread to other healthy
plants
Weeding
1. Remove the weeds near the base of the plants before the first sidedressing.
2. Off-bar and hill-up the soil to prevent the weeds.
3. Mulch with rice straw during dry season. For large plantation, mulch
with black plastic. Mulching also conserves soil moisture.
Harvest Management
1. Harvest mature green or pink-blushed fruits early in the morning
2. Place the harvest in bamboo crates lined with banana leaves or used newspaper to prevent mechanical damage to the fruits.
3. Avoid over- or under- packing.
4. Remove bruised and damaged fruits.
5. Pack together fruits with similar maturity in one
container.
Seed Production
Harvesting
Harvest fruits that have reddish streaks to fully red ripe stage.
Seed Processing
1. Cut fruits in half and squeeze out the seed with the
juice into a container. Allow mixture to ferment 1-2 days or easier removal of mucilaginous seed coat.
2. Dip a fine-holed strainer and rub seeds gently into the strainer to remove the coating.
3. Put the seeds in a pail of water to allow immature seeds to float.
Discard water together with the floated seeds leaving the good seeds
that settled at the bottom of the pail. Repeat the procedure until no
floats can be found.
4. Put seeds in a net bag and air dry them for
2-3 days before sun drying for 4-5 days. Increase the sun drying time as
the seeds dry. For oven drying, dry seeds initially to no more than
30°C, and increase it to 40°C as the seeds dry.
5. For dry sealed packaging, dry the seeds to 8% moisture
content.
Packaging
1. Dry seed absorb moisture from the air. Use moisture resistant
packaging materials such as thick polyethylene plastic, aluminum foil,
tin cans, or glass jars. Seal well.
2. Seeds can be packed in paper
packets but must be placed in large tin cans or wide-mouth glass jars
with desiccants (charcoal, silica gel, calcium chloride, quick lime, or
wood ash) at the bottom.
3. Cover tightly.
Storage
Keep seeds away from moisture and high temperature. The cooler and drier the area, the longer the life of the seeds.
Proper Handling
Tomato
is a perishable crop which deteriorates rapidly if not properly
handled. Some tips to preserve the freshness and lengthen the storage
life of the fruits are as follows:
1. Harvest fruits at the right
stage of maturity. If intended for fresh market and long distance
shipment, harvest at the mature-green stage; for
processing purposes, harvest at the red-ripe stage.
REASON: Harvesting of immature fruits results in irregularly ripened
and poor quality fruits while picking beyond the optimum stage of
maturity renders them unsuitable for long-distance shipment.
2.
Pick tomatoes during the cooler times of the day, usually at dawn. If it
is necessary to harvest up to noon time, keep the harvested fruits in a
shaded area soon after picking.
REASON: During this time,
temperature is low thus, metabolic processes are slowed down. At noon
time, the temperature is high and exposure of the fruits to the sun will
increase fruit temperature which hastens
weight loss and ripening.
3. Avoid harvesting during rainy days.
REASON: Rain water accumulated on the stems favors growth and development of disease-causing microorganisms.
4. Avoid wounding the fruit when harvesting.
REASON: Injuries incurred during harvesting serve as avenue for entry
of microorganisms, hasten water loss and speed up the ripening process.
5. Avoid dropping the fruits into the harvesting containers or when transferring them to the collecting crates.
REASON: Impact bruises on the commodity can result in non-visible
symptoms of deterioration manifested internally as brown to black
discoloration in the seed area.
6. Avoid over and under packing; allow enough spaces after shaking the containers.
REASON: Over-filled or loosely-packed containers will have a high percentage of injured fruits.
7. Line the crates with newspaper or thin pin-pricked polyethylene bag.
REASON: Liners protect the fruits from mechanical injury while pin-pricked polyethylene bags regulate ripening.
8. Pack only clean, disease-, insect- and injury-free tomatoes.
REASON: Diseased fruits may infect sound ones while injured commodities are readily infected and ripen faster.
9. Have a uniform stage of ripeness within the pack.
REASON: Ripening fruits produce ethylene which causes faster ripening of green ones.
10. Use crates with smooth inner sides.
REASON: Rough inner sides cause bruising of fruits during transport.
11. Arrange containers with enough spaces to allow air circulation during transport.
REASON: Free air circulation will prevent over-heating and will also
allow free gas exchange between the commodity and the environment.
12. Be careful when loading and unloading the containers.
REASON: Careless loading and unloading aggravate compression and abrasion damage.
13. Store ripe fruits separately from unripe ones.
REASON: Ripe fruits give off ethylene which hastens the ripening of unripe ones.
14. Delay the ripening of green-mature fruits by keeping them in
pin-pricked, (0.05 mm) polyethylene bags for six days at ambient
condition.
REASON: The high carbon dioxide and low oxygen inside the polyethylene bag delay ripening.
15. Store green-mature fruits (in small amounts) in moist sawdust.
REASON: The high relative humidity and relatively low temperature attained with sawdust storage minimize weight loss.
References:
Fliers. Tomato. September 2008. Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the
Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna.
Package
of Technology of Different Vegetable Crops: Technology Generation and
Dissemination for the Growth and Development of Vegetable
Industry.2005.DA-RFU 4A& Bureau of Agricultural Research, Diliman
Quezon
