Tomato Cultural Practices – Guide For Tomato Farming

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Learn how to grow tomatoes with this comprehensive step-by-step guide. From selecting the right variety and planting to watering, pest management, and harvesting, discover expert tips for successful tomato farming and enjoy delicious homegrown tomatoes.

Table Of Contents

  1. Meaning of Tomato.
  2. Cultural practices of tomatoes
  3. Varieties of tomato
  4. Pests and diseases of tomato.
  5. The benefits
  6. Uses of tomatoes

Introduction To Tomato Farming

Meaning: Tomato is a vegetable crop commonly grown by peasant farmers in West Africa. The fruit is called Berry when ripe can be eating raw, used for soup or stew preparation, or in preparing vegetables salad and other food.

Tomatoes are fleshy fruits that belong to the nightshade family. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, including red, yellow, orange, and even purple. Rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, and antioxidants like lycopene, tomatoes are not only delicious but also offer numerous health benefits. They can be eaten raw, cooked, or processed into sauces, salsas, and soups.

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are one of the most popular and versatile vegetables grown worldwide. Known for their rich flavor and nutritional benefits, tomatoes can be used in various dishes, from salads to sauces. Growing tomatoes can be rewarding, whether for personal consumption or commercial purposes. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about growing tomatoes, from planting to harvesting.

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The Tomato Cultural Practices

1. Choosing the Right Tomato Variety: There are many tomato varieties, each suited for different climates, growing conditions, and culinary uses.

VARIETIES OF TOMATOES: This include money-maker, valiant, pork, dwarf gem, marglobe, Ife plum, bonita, Roma, local varieties.

  • Determinate Varieties: These tomatoes grow to a fixed height and produce fruit all at once, making them ideal for canning. Examples include Roma and Celebrity.
  • Indeterminate Varieties: These continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season, ideal for fresh eating. Examples include Cherry, Beefsteak and Brandywine.
  • Heirloom Varieties: These are open-pollinated varieties known for their unique flavors and colors, such as Green Zebra and Cherokee Purple.

2. Land Preparation: Land is cleared with cutlass and ridges are made with local hoe, or land can be prepared by ploughing, Harrowing and Ridging.

  • Soil Testing: Conduct a soil test to check for nutrient levels and pH. Amend the soil as necessary to create optimal growing conditions.
  • Organic Matter: Incorporate well-rotted compost or manure to improve soil fertility and structure.
  • Tilling: Till the soil to a depth of about 12 inches to aerate and break up any compacted areas.

3. CLIMATIC AND SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Tomato requires a temperature of 20°c to 25°c, rainfall of 50 -125cm, high level of sunshine and well drained loamy soil, rich in organic matter.

4. METHOD OF PROPAGATION : These are seeds which can be propagated by drilling or broadcasting.

5. Planting tomatoes: Tomatoes can be started from seeds indoors or purchased as young plants from nurseries.

  • PLANTING DATE: TOMATO is planted in early September and October.
  • Starting Seeds: If starting from seeds, sow them indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. Transplant seedlings outdoors after the danger of frost has passed.
  • Transplanting: When planting, bury the seedlings up to their first set of leaves to encourage strong root development. Seedling with four to five leaves, 15cm to 20cm tall and about 25 to 30 days old are transplanted with ball of Earth. Holes measuring 5cm deep are dug and seedlings are transplanted to the field either in the morning or evening.
  • SPACING: Spacing in tomato Cultural Practices is 60cm x 60cm without staking, 50cm x 30cm with staking.
Tomato cultural Practices, benefits and importance uses.
Tomato cultural Practices And benefits

Nursery cultural Practices of Tomato

  • It is done on ground, beds or seed boxes/trays with top soil, thoroughly mixed and watered.
  • Seeds are sown in drills, 5cm apart and 2.5cm deep.
  • Shading, mulching, weeding and watering are done.
  • Nursery lasts for three weeks when the plants are at the three leaved stage.

Other Tomato Cultural Practices Includes

  • WEEDING: This should be done at regular intervals.

6. WATERING AND IRRIGATION: Soon after transplanting, seedlings should be watered every morning and evening till the plans are able to stand on their own.

Steps for watering

  • Watering Frequency: Water deeply 1-2 times per week, depending on weather conditions. Soil should be kept consistently moist but not waterlogged.
  • Drip Irrigation: Consider using drip irrigation or soaker hoses to deliver water directly to the roots, reducing the risk of fungal diseases from overhead watering.
  • Mulching: Apply a layer of organic mulch around the plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

7. Fertilizer Application: Apply N.P.K, 15:15:15 fertilizer to each plant three weeks after transplanted at 250 kg per hectare, or apply any organic manure like compost or farmyard manual at 30 to 40 metric tonnes per hectare.

Steps to take

  • Pre-Planting Fertilizer: Before planting, mix a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) into the soil according to package instructions.
  • Side-Dressing: Apply a nitrogen-rich fertilizer (like blood meal or fish emulsion) 4-6 weeks after transplanting to promote healthy foliage growth.
  • Calcium: To prevent blossom end rot, ensure adequate calcium levels by incorporating lime or gypsum into the soil.

8. Staking: Provide stakes to enable plants to stand erect and prevent lodging. Stems are tied or trained to the stake. Staking allows for good fruiting and keep fruits from disease attack, arising from the contacts with the soil. Staking should be done before flowering.

  • MATURITY PERIOD: This occurs between two to four months after planting.

9. HARVESTING AND STORAGE: Matured or ripe fruits are harvested by hand picking and stored in dry, Cool place. Harvesting starts from 2 months.

  • PROCESSING: Tomato either used or consume after harvesting, or it can be processed into tomato juice or paste.
  • STORAGE: It can be stored as canned paste.
  • Room Temperature: Store unripe tomatoes at room temperature until they ripen. Avoid refrigerating fresh tomatoes, as cold temperatures can affect flavor and texture.
  • Preservation: If you have an abundance of tomatoes, consider canning, drying, or making sauces to preserve them for later use.

PESTS OF TOMATO

1. Cricket and beetles: This eat up leaves or cut off young seedlings and cause damage to tomato crops.

  • Control: spray with insecticides, e.g, vetox85.

DISEASES OF TOMATO

1. Fusarium wilt (roots rot): It is a fungal disease (fusarium oxysporium) which is spread by wind.

  • Symptoms: This include gradual dropping of leaves followed by wilting and drying up of leaves of the whole plant.
  • Control: Treat soil with Copper fungicides, practice crop rotation.

2. Root knot disease: It is caused by a nematode. Roots develop galls or knot with yellow, curled leaves and dwarf plants.

  • Control: Treat soil with Nematicide, plant resistant varieties and practice crop rotation.

3. Bacteria wilt: This is caused by a bacterium called pseudomonas solaraceurium. It is transmitted through the soil and it attacks the roots.

  • Symptoms: Symptoms include waiting of the leaves, death of the affected plant, and slimy exudation from the stem.
  • CONTROL: Practice crop rotation and avoid infected soil.

4. Leaf spot Disease: This disease is caused by a fungus called chadosporium spp. It is an airborne disease whose spores are deposited on the leaves.

  • Symptoms: Symptoms include secular white patches which appears on the leaves. Dead spots also appear on the leaves.
  • CONTROL: Use copper fungicide like perenox and Bordeaux mixture.

BENEFITS OF TOMATOES

  1. Rich in Nutrients
  2. Powerful Antioxidants
  3. Heart Health
  4. Cancer Prevention
  5. Vision Support
  6. Skin Health
  7. Weight Management
  8. Blood Sugar Control

USES OF TOMATOES

  1. Culinary Applications
  2. Fresh Consumption
  3. Canned Products
  4. Ketchup and Condiments
  5. Beverages
  6. Uses of tomato in Food Industry

Conclusion on how to grow tomatoes

Growing tomatoes can be a delightful and fruitful experience, providing you with fresh produce for your kitchen. By following these steps—from selecting the right variety and preparing the soil to proper watering, pest management, and harvesting—you can cultivate healthy tomato plants and enjoy the delicious fruits of your labour. Whether you’re a novice gardener or an experienced farmer, this guide will help you achieve a bountiful tomato harvest. Enjoy the rich flavors and versatility that homegrown tomatoes bring to your meals!

Revision Questions

  1. What is tomato?
  2. What are the cultural practices of tomatoes you have learned in this class?
  3. State the uses of tomatoes.
  4. What are the importance of benefits of tomatoes?
  5. State the pests and diseases of tomato.
  6. What are the methods of controlling the pests and diseases of tomato?

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