Climate and Soil Requirement for Tomato Cultivation

Climate and Soil Requirement for Tomato Cultivation

Climate:

Tomato is warm season crop. Grows well is those retain that are free from frost. It can’t be grown successfully in places of higher rainfall. Temperature after tomato crops in following ways.

1. Optimum temperature for seed germination is 26 to 320C.

2. The optimum temperature required for its cultivation is 15 – 270C. At higher temperature its blossoms drops off. The damages great when high temp is combined with dry wind. It will result in the failure of fruit set due to drying of stigmatic liquid.
 
3. Colour development: In tomato red colour is due the pigment Lycopene. Lycopene is highest at 18 to 260C while production of this pigment drops off rapidly above 300C and ‘nil’ above 400C.

4. Carothe is developed rapidly at high temperature.

5. If fruits exposed to direct sunlight, their tops may turn whitish yellow & become leathery in texture. This is common in late varietes during summer season. This condition is known as sun – scald.

6. A warm, sunny weather is most suited for proper ripening, colour, quality & high yield.

 Soil:

Sandy loam soil with a well drained clay sub soil is best suited. Light soils are good for early variety. While clay loan or silt loam soils are well suited for heavy yield (Late variety), grows at pH 6.0 to 7.0 satisfactorily. The soil should be well prepared & leveled by ploughing the land 4 – 5 times.