The Blossoms of Tomatoes: Tomato Farming in India

Table of Contents

• An Introduction to Tomato Farming in India
• Popular Tomato Varieties in India
  • Vaishali
  • Rupali
  • Pusa Ruby
  • Pusa Early Dwarf
  • Arka Vikas
• Tomato Cultivation in India
  • Soil & Climate Requirement
  • Land Preparation
  • Plantation
  • Irrigation
  • Manure and Fertilizer Management
  • Cultural Practices
  • Pest and Disease Management
  • Harvesting and Yield
• Tomato Production in India – State Wise

An Introduction to Tomato Farming in India

Tomato is an edible berry under Solanaceae family. Its scientific name is Solanum Lycopersicum. India is the second largest producer of tomato in the world. The total global area under tomato cultivation is 46.16 lakh hectare and the global production is 1279.93 lakh tonnes. The highest tomato producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. These states account for about 90% of total tomato production in the country. Tomato production in India in 2020-21 was reported to be 21 million tonnes, higher than last year production of 20.55 million tonnes (2.20% higher).

Popular Tomato Varieties in India

• Vaishali
• Rupali
• Pusa Ruby
• Pusa Early Dwarf
• Arka Vikas
• Rashmi
• Rajni
• Pant T3
• Arka Alok

Let’s understand the top most varieties of tomato in detail.

Vaishali

This determinate hybrid tomato variety produces medium sized (100 g) quality fruits. The variety is suitable for growing in hot and humid weather conditions. This variety is suitable for preparing fresh juice.

Rupali

This is a determinate, compact growing, early tomato hybrid with good foliage cover which produces medium sized (100 g) round, firm, smooth and good quality fruits. This variety is appropriate for processing purposes. These types of tomatoes are deep red in colour.

Pusa Ruby

This variety is an early growing cultivar, fruits have yellow stem end, slightly furrowed with uniform ripening. It is suitable for sowing both in spring-summer and autumn-winter seasons. It is suitable for both table and processing purposes.

Pusa Early Dwarf

It is a determinate and an early ripening cultivator developed by IARI New Delhi. The fruits are flattish round, medium-large with yellow stem end, usually ready to harvest in 75-80 days after transplanting. It is suitable for both table and processing purposes.

Arka Vikas

This is a hybrid variety of tomatoes which is developed by IIHR, Bangalore. Fruits are oblate, medium large (80-90 gm) with light green shoulder. Plants are semi-determinate with dark green foliage. These are tolerant to heat and moisture stress. Crop is cultivated in Kharif/Rabi season and matures in 140 days. These tomatoes are best suited for table purposes.

Tomato Cultivation in India

Soil & Climate Requirement

Tomato can be grown on wide variety of soils from light sandy to heavy clay. The soil with rich organic matter, high water holding capacity and fertility with pH ranges from 6 to 7 is ideal. Tomato is a warm season crop and cannot withstand frost and high humidity. It requires a low to medium rainfall. The ideal temperature for the colour and the quality of the fruit ranges from 21-24°Celsius. Temperatures above 32°Celsius can adversely affects the fruit set and development, while the temperature below than 10°Celsius can affects the plant tissues and lead to psychological activities. The bright sunshine helps in achieving deep red colour of the fruit.

Land Preparation

Land preparation is the first step before planting tomatoes. Land preparation consists of proper grading (particularly if furrow irrigation is used), subsoiling to break up compacted layers, listing, and final bed preparation. The levelled land is required for the plantation of tomatoes. The field is ploughed to fine tilth by four to five times with an interval between two ploughing. Before plantation, planking should be done. Furrows are then opened at the recommended spacing. Well-decomposed FYM (25 tonnes/hectare) is thoroughly incorporated at the time of land preparation.

Plantation

Spacing of plants depends upon the type of variety grown and the season of the planting crops. Usually, seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of 75-90 x 45-60 cm. In light soils, seedlings are transplanted in furrows while they are transplanted on side of the ridges in case of heavy soils. A pre-soaking irrigation is given 3-4 days prior to transplanting. Evening time is the most preferable time for transplanting. The season for cultivation varies from region to region as given below:

Irrigation

Irrigation is essential to produce consistent yields of high-quality tomatoes. During summer season, irrigation at every 3 to 4 days interval is necessary, whereas for winter and spring season crop, 10 to 15 days interval is sufficient. Subsequent irrigations are given according to need of the crop.

Manure and Fertilizer Management

The fertilizer dose depends on the soil fertility. 15-20 tonnes of well-decomposed FYM (Farm Yard Manure) are incorporated into the soil to get a good yield. Generally, the proportions of NPK are applied as follows:

• Application of 120 kg N, 80 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O per hectare is recommended for getting optimum yield.
• Half dose of N and full dose of P and K is given at the time of planting.
• The balance half of N is given as top dressing 30 days after transplanting.

Cultural Practices

• Crop Rotation - Tomato should not be grown successively on the same field and a break of at least one year is required between planting of tomatoes.
• Intercropping - Tomato is well fitted in different cropping systems of cereals, grains, pulses and oilseeds. Cropping systems rice-tomato, rice-maize, okra-potato-tomato, tomato-onion are popular in various parts of India.
• Weed Management - Weeds should be controlled in tomato crops because they compete for light, water, and nutrients. Sometimes they host tomato diseases, such as tomato yellow leaf curl virus.
• Staking - Staking is necessary due to the tall habit and heaving bearing nature of the hybrids. It helps in maintaining the quality of the fruits. It is done 2-3 weeks after transplanting. It can be done either by wooden stakes or laying overhead wires to which individual plant is tied.
• Pruning - It is selective removal of side shoots to limit plant growth. It can cause fruit to mature earlier and grow to greater size. It improves air circulation within the canopy, which reduces foliar diseases, and ease spraying and harvesting.

Pest and Disease Management

Harvesting and Yield

The fruits are ready for first picking within 60-70 days after transplanting depending upon the variety. The following are the stages of harvesting:

• Dark Green Colour- The colour of the fruit changes from green to reddish pink. This means the fruit which is shipped is ready to harvest. Such fruits are then sprayed with ethylene 48 hours prior to shipping. Slice a tomato with knife to examine the maturity. If seeds are cut, the fruit is too immature for harvest and will not ripen properly.
• Breaker Stage- Light pink colour appears on 1/4^th part of the tomato. Fruits are harvested at this stage to ensure the best quality. Such fruit are less prone to damage during shipment often fetch a higher price than less mature tomatoes.
• Pink Stage- Pink colour is observed on the 3/4^th part of the fruit.
• Reddish Pink- The whole fruit turns reddish pink. This is ready to harvest for the local sale.
• Fully Riped - Fruits are fully riped and soft having dark red colour. Such fruits are used for processing.

The tomato yield per acre varies from 15 to 20 tonnes per acre. The tomato yield per acre depends upon the variety of the crops.

Tomato Production in India – State Wise