Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
Irrigation
- Irrigate at two or three days interval.
Weeding & Intercultural operations
- Weeding followed by fertilizer application and earthing up may be done at one and two months after transplanting.
- Stake the plants if necessary.
Growth regulators
Application of growth hormone to tomato crop has been recommended for improving seed germination, to enhance flowering and fruit set, for faster and uniform fruit ripening; and for realizing higher yield. The growth regulators commonly used for tomato, their dosage and effect of application are detailed in the table below.
| Growth regulators and their recommended dosages for tomato crop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plant growth regulators | Concentration (mg/litre) | Method of application | Attributes affected |
| Gibberellic acid (GA) | 10-20 | Foliar spray | Higher yield at low temperature |
| 40-100 | Seed treatment | Seed germination | |
| Ethephon | 100-500 | Foliar spray | Flowering, fruiting and yield |
| 1000 | Pre-harvest spray | Fruit ripening | |
| PCPA | 50-100 | Foliar spray at low flowering | Tomato fruit set at high temperatures |
| Source: 50 Years of Crop Science Research in India, ICAR | |||
Staking
Stake the plants depending on the growth and bearing habit of the variety. Staking is essential for hybrids because of their tall growing habit and heavy bearing nature. Also, staking facilitates intercultural operations and helps in maintaining the quality of the fruits. Staking should be done 2-3 weeks after transplanting either by wooden stakes or laying overhead wires to which individual plant can be tied. In the case of indeterminate types, two or three wires are stretched parallel to each other along the row and plants are tied to these wires.
