Crop guide

Tomato

Complete Crop Program for Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) 1. Soil Preparation • Deep ploughing 2–3 times to make a fine, well-drained seedbed. • Apply Farm Yard Manure (FYM): 3–4 tons per acre before final ploughing.

Rabi Sowing Aug–Sep Harvest Jan–Feb 120–200 maund per acre

Soil Preparation

Deep ploughing 2–3 times to make a fine, well-drained seedbed.
Apply Farm Yard Manure (FYM): 3–4 tons per acre before final ploughing.
Ideal soil: Loamy or sandy loam, rich in organic matter.
Optimum pH: 6.0–7.0.

Sowing Time (Pakistan)

Region Nursery Sowing Transplanting
Punjab August–September October–November
Sindh October–November December–January
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa February–March March–April
Balochistan January–February February–March
Tomato prefers moderate temperature (20–30°C) for best growth and fruiting.

Nursery Management

Prepare raised nursery beds (1 m wide).
Mix FYM and sandy soil in equal ratio.
Seed rate: 100–120 grams per acre.
Seed treatment: Treat with Portible (Thiophanate Methyl) @ 2g/kg seed to prevent damping-off.
Light irrigation daily until germination (5–7 days).
Seedlings are ready in 25–30 days (4–5 leaf stage).

Field Transplanting

Row spacing: 2.5–3 ft (75–90 cm).
Plant spacing: 1.5–2 ft (45–60 cm).
Transplant healthy seedlings during evening time.
Irrigate immediately after transplanting.

Fertilizer Application (Per Acre)

Fertilizer Quantity Timing
DAP (18:46:0) 1.5 bags (75 kg) At transplanting
Urea (46% N) 1 bag (50 kg) Half at transplanting, half at flowering
SOP (Sulphate of Potash) 1 bag (50 kg) At fruit setting stage
Zinc Sulphate 8–10 kg At transplanting
Tip: Potash and Zinc improve fruit color, taste, and firmness.

Irrigation Management

First irrigation immediately after transplanting.
Then every 7–10 days depending on weather.
Critical stages:
Flowering
Fruit setting
Fruit development
Stop irrigation 10–12 days before final harvest to enhance flavor and firmness.

Weed Management

Weed Damage Control Product
Bathu (Lambsquarters) Comes up with the crop in the cool weeks after transplanting and takes the light and the nitrogen meant for flowering, so fewer fruits set. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Horse Purslane (Itsit) Germinates in a thick flush with the first irrigations after transplanting and takes the water and nitrogen from the young plants, so fruit setting drops. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Barnyard Grass (Swank) Comes up with the crop in the spring planting and takes the water and nitrogen through the first month, so the plants stay small and carry less fruit. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Purple Nutsedge (Deela) Keeps coming up between the plants and takes the nitrogen while the fruit is filling, so the fruit sizes down and every picking is lighter. Hand weeding with the first hoeing, 20–25 days after transplanting
Field Bindweed (Lehli) Pulls the plants down off their stakes and takes the water all season, so the fruit stays small and picking is slow. Hoe between the rows and pull the vines off the plants

First hoeing 20–25 days after transplanting.
Use Agritas Pendimethalin 33% EC @ 1 liter/acre within 2–3 days after transplanting as a pre-emergence herbicide.

Major Insect Pests & Control

Pest Damage Recommended Control
Fruit Borer Holes in fruit, yield loss Veento 1.9% EC (Emamectin Benzoate)
Whitefly Sap sucking, virus transmission D-Pest 25% WP (Imidacloprid)
Aphids / Jassids Leaf curling, stunted growth Coupraze 25% WG (Thiamethoxam)
Thrips Leaf deformation Tueric 11% SC (Cyromazine + Abamectin)

Major Diseases & Control

Disease Symptoms Control Product
Damping-Off Seedlings wilt at base Carbendazim (Seed treatment)
Early Blight Brown concentric spots on leaves Espot 50% SC (Azoxystrobin + Tebuconazole)
Late Blight Leaf blackening, fruit rot Cure Jet 72% WP (Mancozeb + Cymoxanil)
Powdery Mildew White powder on leaves Vesant 80% (Sulphur 80%)
Bacterial Wilt Sudden wilting of healthy plants Field sanitation + crop rotation