Question

Describe the field production of tomatoes under the following sub-headings

1. Ecological requirements.
2. Land preparations. 
3. Transplanting. 
4. Field management practical. 
5. Marketing 

Answer 1

1.  
   1. Rainfall 760 -130 mm per annum moderate rainfall well distributed.
   2. Altitude 0-21000mm above sea level /low to medium altitude areas.
   3. Soils- deep fertile well drained.
   4. SOILM PH – 6-6.5/slightly acidic soils.
   5. Temperature- optimum temperature of 21-22 moderate temperature
2.  
   1. Should be done early before the onset of rains
   2. Clear the vegetation and remove tree stumps.
   3. Plough deeply an d remove all perennial weeds
   4. Harrow the land to medium tilth and level it.
   5. Prepare planting holes 15cm deep
   6. Holes should be spaced at 9M x 0.6 M or 1.0 mx0.5 m depending on variety
   7. Apply organic manure/phosphatic fertilizers eg Dsp one tea spoonful per whole 
   8. mix the manure or fertilizer well with the soil
3.  
   1. Transplant when seedlings are 10-15 cm high 4 to 6th the leaf stage pencil thick
   2. Transplant on a cool cloudy day late in the afternoon.
   3. Water the nursery bed well before transplanting
   4. Use a garden trowel to lift the seedling with a ball of soil around the roots
   5. Select only healthy and vigorously growing seedlings
   6. Water the seedbed planting hole before transplanting the seedlings
   7. Pace seedlings in the planting hole at the same depth as they were in the nursery.
   8. Apply appropriate insecticide chemical to control soil –borne pests like cutworms.
   9. Firm/ compact the soil around the seedlings
   10. Mulch
   11. Then water the seedlings
4.  
   1. Carry out timely gapping of seedlings that have died after transplanting.
   2. Water regularly, especially during the dry spell.
   3. Top dress by 2 split applications using nitrogenous fertilizers.
   4. Weed early and regularly.
   5. Stake all tall varieties.
   6. Prune to remover excess suckers or leaves touching the ground.
   7. Control nests using appropriate methods
   8. Control diseases like tomato blight by spraying regularly with appropriate chemicals.
5.  
   1. Fresh market fruits should be picked as soon as they ripen.
   2. Ripening may be hastened by keeping fruits in cool dry conditions
   3. Fruits for canning need to ripen enough for processing.
   4. Use large well ventilated crates to transport tomatoes.
   5. The fruit should be level with the of the crates to allow piling of crates to avoid damaging the fruits
   6. Deliver the fruits to the market without delay the perish ability.
   7. Grade tomatoes depending on size, degree of ripeness, freshness