Tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum) belongs to the genus Lycopersicon under Solanaceae family. Tomato is a herbaceous sprawling plant growing to 1-3 m in height with weak woody stem. The flowers are yellow in colour and the fruits of cultivated varieties vary in size from cherry tomatoes, about 1–2 cm in size to beefsteak tomatoes, about 10 cm or more in diameter. Most cultivars produce red fruits when ripe. Tomato is a native to Peruvian and Mexican region. Though there are no definite records of when and how it came to India , the Portuguese perhaps introduced it to India.

India produces around 19.75 million tons from area of 7.89 lakh hectares with average yield of 25.04 tonnes/Ha (Source: NHRDF 2017-18- APY). India is the second largest producer of tomato following China. USA, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Italy and Turkey are the major tomato producing countries Tomato is mainly a Kharif and Rabi crop and during summer season,the crop is supplied from the south Indianstates of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka which is the lean period in other parts of the country. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh produce tomato throughout the year.

Annual domestic table consumption varies between 11-12million tonnes, depending upon prices and availability. As perNSSO, the per-capita consumption estimates oftomatois 0.58 Kg/month per capita for rural areas and 0.80 kg/month for urban areas.

(Source: TNAU)

(Source: APEDA)

Improved varieties
Arka Saurabh, Arka Vikas, ArkaAhuti, Arka Ashish, ArkaAbha , Arka Alok, HS101, HS102, HS110, Hisar Arun, Hisar Lalima, Hisar Lalit, Hisar Anmol, KS.2, Narendra Tomato 1, Narendra Tomato 2, Pusa Red Plum, Pusa Early Dwarf, Pusa Ruby, Co-1, CO 2, CO 3, S-12, Punjab Chhuhara, PKM 1, Pusa Ruby, Paiyur-1, Shakthi, SL 120, Pusa Gaurav, S 12, Pant Bahar, Pant T3, Solan Gola and ArkaMeghali.

F1 hybrids:
Arka Abhijit, ArkaShresta, Arka Vishal, ArkaVardan, Pusa Hybrid 1, Pusa Hybrid 2, COTH 1 Hybrid Tomato, Rashmi, Vaishali, Rupali, Naveen, Avinash 2, MTH 4, Sadabahar, Gulmohar and Sonali.

The crop will be ready for harvest in about 2- 3 months after planting. The harvesting of the tomatoes is done as per the requirement of the market and in a typical season 8 to 10 picking is done to feed the market as per its requirement

(Source: TNAU)

The crop is grown from almost mean sea level (MSL) to an altitude of 1500 m in tropical and subtropical regions, with an annual rainfall of 60-150 cm. Very high rainfall during its growth is harmful. When grown under hot weather, it is cultivated as an irrigated crop. The winter crop is planted from August to September. For organic farming of tomato, winter crop has been found to be ideal. Well drained sandy loam soil with high level of organic contents is best suitable for tomato cultivation. Soils with high acidity are not suitable for tomato cultivation. 3 to 4 q of suitable lime can be applied in the field in an interval of three years to reduce the level of acidity to tolerable limits. There is a need to go for soil testing at the beginning of the crop season.

(Source: TNAU)

Requirement of seed /acre is approximately 150 g. Sowing of the seeds should be done in straight lines drawn at an interval of 5 cm with 2 cm spacing between successive seeds implanted. Seeds are to be planted at a depth of 0.5 cm to 1 cm. After sowing the seed, a thin layer of soil should be used as covering. Then beds should be covered by thin nylon nets keeping a gap of one foot from the bed and fully secured from all sides by placing adequate soil on the borders of the net. This practice will prevent pest infestation in the saplings.

(Source: TNAU)

In order to maintain a fertile soil, organic matter should be added to it regularly. If organic farming is being performed on own land since many years, the soil will have a good nutrient content. Compost / Farmyard manures can also be added to further enrich the soil. Application of organic manure is very important for tomato cultivation. Farm yard manure of 10 tonnes or 1-1.5 tonnes of vermin compost per acre is generally applied. To prevent contamination, FYM can be treated with trichoderma at the rate of 500 g per a tractor load of manure. After mixing the required amount of trichoderma the manure should be allowed to remain in a heap covered with wet gunny bag for proper culturing.

(Source: TNAU)

The land may be ploughed and harrowed 3 or 4 times to obtain a fine tilth. About 10 tonnes of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) or vermi compost/compost @ 1-1.5 tonnes per acre is applied at the last ploughing. Green manuring is recommended for areas with assured rainfall and also for irrigated crop. Beds are prepared against the slope and after levelling the bed, field channels of 50 cm breadth are prepared at intervals of 1 month.

(Source: TNAU)

20 to 25 days old seedlings are used for transplantation. They are transplanted in the main field in rows with a spacing of 60 cm between rows and 50 cm distance between two successive plants. Transplantation is done on one side of the channel keeping a distance of 30 cm. In the initial period, irrigation from the field channel is found to be adequate.

(Source: TNAU)

It is a long-drawn observation that insect pests and diseases first strike the well-nourished plants. Therefore the objective of organic methods, is to grow crops which naturally resist the onslaught of pests and diseases. Management of soil tilth, moisture and nutrient status is the first step in effective pest and disease management.

(Source: TNAU)

Tomato in Southern and Western states is grown in summer, kharif and Rabi seasons. In Northern and Eastern states its grown in both kharif and Rabi seasons. In Hills, tomato is grown in summer seasons and rabi seasons.

(Source: TNAU)

Crop rotations, which assist in breaking life cycles of insects and pests, is a traditional means of pest control. Control of tomato pests require careful monitoring and integration of cultural practices and biological control. A wide range of biological pesticides are available to keep pests below the thresh hold level. It has been observed that organic tomato plants have fewer pest and insect problems than the conventional chemically grown tomato plants. Moreover, practicing crop rotation aids in breaking the life cycle of insects and pests thus reducing the pest menace.

(Source: TNAU)

Fruit Borer is one of the major threats to tomato crop. In order to prevent damage to the crop from fruit borer, marigold should be raised in the adjoining plot to divert the attention of the fruit borer. In case eggs of the insect are found on the leaves of the plant trichocard can be applied. In case, the intensity of pest attack increases, 4% solution of neem seed extract can be sprayed on plants at 15 days interval to control the insect.

Biopesticides include living organisms which can destroy pests. Use of biopesticides is one of the most appropriate and promising methods of pest management. Ha NPV (Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus) is used againsttheHeliothisarmigera (fruit borer) in tomato. Trichoderma is the most widely used fungal biopesticide. It is useful against root fungi. They are ideal for seed treatment also. Trichogramma belongs to a large group of egg parasitoids and success has been achieved against the lepidopteran pests of commercial crops like tomato. Tricho cards are used against the fruit borers. Neem based pesticides like neem cake, neem seed kernel extract (NSKE), neem leaf extract, neem oil etc., act as a repellent and antifeedent and its oil is effective against fruit borer.

(Source: TNAU)

Despite good management practices, diseases usually occur, presenting one of the greatest challenges to organic tomato growers. The degree of occurrence is regionally based and largely dependent on environmental conditions. Tomatoes are injured by pathogenic diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, as well as physiological disorders such as cat facing and blossom end rot, which are caused by environmental / abiotic stress. Pathogenic diseases develop through soil borne and above ground infections, and, in some instances, are transmitted through insect feeding.

Major tomato diseases include those that attack the root system (fusarium wilt, verticiliun wilt, bacterial wilt, rhizoctonia), above-ground stems and foliage (early blight, leaf spot, bacterial canker, late blight), and fruit (bacterial spot, bacterial speck, anthracnose).

Thus, the disease control programme is important at each stage of growth. Organic tomato disease control programs are based on a combination of organic soil management practices, IPM practices and natural remedies. In order to prevent bacteria borne diseases, the resistant varieties can be adopted and as a preventive measure regular crop rotation may be adopted with non solanaceous crop.

(Source: TNAU)