PKM 1, CO 3 (Marutham) and Paiyur 1

Hybrids
COTH 2 and TNAU Tomato Hybrid CO 3

1) Soil and climate
Well drained loamy soils rich in organic matter with a pH range of 6.5-7.5.

2) Season of Sowing
May - June and November – December

3) Nursery Bed Preparation
Apply FYM 10 kg, Neem cake 1 kg, VAM 50 g, enriched Superphosphate 100 g and Furadon 10 g per square meter before sowing.

4) Seed Rate
Varieties : 300-350 g / ha

Hybrids : 100-150 g / ha

5) Seed treatment
Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 g or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g or Carbendazim 2 g per kg of seeds 24 hours before sowing. Just before sowing, treat the seeds with Azospirillum @ 40 g / 400 g of seeds. Sow in lines at 10 cm apart in raised nursery beds and cover with sand.

6)Protected nursery
Prepare the nursery area of 3 cents with slanting slope of 2 % for the seedling production to cover 1 ha.

Cover the nursery area with 50 % shade net and cover the sides using 40/50 mesh insect proof nylon net.

Form raised beds of 1 m width and convenient length and place HDPV pipes at 2m interval for further protection with polythene sheets during rainy months.

Mix sterilized cocopeat @ 300 kg with 5 kg neem cake along with Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria each @ 1 kg. Approximately 1.2 kg of cocopeat is required for filling one protray. 238 protrays (98 cells) are required for the production of 23,334 seedlings, which are required for one hectare adopting a spacing of 90 x 60 x 60 cm in paired row system.

Sow the treated seed in protrays @ one seed per cell.

Cover the seed with cocopeat and keep the trays one above the other and cover with a polythene sheet till germination starts

After six days, place the protrays with germinated seeds individually on the raised beds inside the shade net

Water with rosecan everyday and drench with NPK 19:19:19 @ 0.5% (5g/l) at 18 days after sowing

7)Field Preparation
Plough the land to fine tilth. Thoroughly prepare the field with the addition of FYM @ 25 t/ ha and form ridges and furrows at a spacing of 60 cm. Apply 2 kg/ha of Azospirillum and 2 kg/ha of Phosphobacteria by mixing with 50 kg of FYM. Irrigate the furrows and transplant 25 days old seedlings on the sides of ridges. Life irrigation to be given on 3rd day of planting.

8)Spacing for varieties
PKM 1, Paiyur 1, COTH 2, TNAU Tomato Hybrid CO 3 : 60 x 45 cm CO 3 : 45 x 30 cm

9)Mulching
Mulch with black LDPE sheets of 25 micron thickness and bury both the ends into the soil to a depth of 10 cm

10) Weed control
Apply Pendimethalin 1.0 kg a.i./ha or Fluchloralin 1.0 kg a.i / ha as pre-emergence herbicide, followed by hand weeding once at 30 days after planting.

11) Irrigation
After establishment of seedlings, irrigate at weekly intervals.

Spray 1.25 ppm (625 ml in 500 litres of water) Triacontanol at 15 days after transplanting and at full bloom stage to increase the yield. 

Training of hybrids
Stake the plants 30 days after planting with 1 - 1.5 m tall stakes.

Remove the side branches up to 20 cm from ground level.

Micronutrient spray
Foliar spray of ZnSO4 @ 0.5 per cent thrice at 10 days interval from 40 days after planting.

Spray 19:19:19 + Mn @ 1 % at 60 days after planting.

Damping off (nursery)
Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g /kg of seed 24 hours before sowing. Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens as soil application @ 2.5 kg/ha mixed with 50 kg of FYM. Water stagnation should be avoided. Drench with Copper oxychloride at 2.5 g/lit at 4 lit/sq.m.

Leaf spot
Leaf spot can be controlled by spraying Zineb or Mancozeb 2 g/lit.

Fusarial wilt and Root knot nematode
Soil solarization before preparation of nursery bed. Seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) @ 10 g /kg of seed, followed by nursery application of Pf1@ 20 g/m2 and seedling dip with Pf1 @ 5g/l along with soil application of Pf1 @ 2.5 kg mixed with 50 kg FYM /ha at 30 days of transplanting.

Leaf curl
Spray systemic insecticides like methyl demeton or dimethoate @ 2 ml/lit. to kill the insect vector, whitefly.

Tomato spotted wilt disease
Carbofuran 3 G @ 33 kg/ha in nursery at sowing and second application @ 40 kg /ha on 10 days after transplanting in main field and 3 sprays of phosalone 35 EC @ 1.5 ml/lit @ 25, 40, 55 days after transplanting.