Choice of right, high-yielding, certified seed of current/new varieties suited for their area helps farmers in better yield. Early,compact, biotic (pest and diseases) and abiotic (heat and night cold) stress tolerant, quality andmarket proven cultivars are ideally preferred for high yield in tomato.Tomato crop is grown in open fields as well as poly houses.
1. Maturity:
Tomato is a day neutral plant so can be grown in any season throughout the year. Tomatoes cover about 120 to 150 days. In north plains the crop should be complete before frost. Days to maturity are useful in deciding a variety. For short growing season it is good to pick varieties that have the short days to maturity. Duration also decides cropping pattern of such suitability of double cropping, crop rotation etc in a field.
2. Disease and pest tolerance:
Disease and pest tolerance is another important concern for good yield. The major diseases and pests affecting tomato all over India is given below. Enhancing soil health by using bio-control agents controls root diseases and nematodes. Select hybrids and varieties with resistance to diseases and pest which is prevalent in that area. Use of resistant or tolerant varieties/hybrids is the best and economic way of disease and pest control.
| Pest | Prevalent region |
|---|---|
| Fruit Borer | Throughout the country |
| Serpentine leaf miner | |
| Tobacco caterpillar | |
| Root-Knot Nematode | |
| Leaf defoliator | |
| Jassids | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Mealy Bug | Andhra Pradesh, Utter Pradesh, Punjab |
| Cut worm | Jammu & Kashmir |
| Aphids | Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| Disease | |
| Bacterial Wilt | Throughout the country |
| Fusarium Wilt | |
| Leaf Blight | |
| Virus diseases | |
| Late blight | Gangetic plains of eastern India |
| Powdery Mildew | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh |
| Early blight | Gangetic plains of eastern India |
| Damping Off | North plain region |
| Fruit rot | Central India |
3. Yield
For farmers yield is an important criterion. Variety chosen should be consistent in yielding in a locality over a period of time. Todays improved varieties can yield about 25–30 tons/ac.Regular bearers are suited for distant market whereas irregular bearers are suited for local requirements.Hybrids have better yield advantage over varieties.
4. Other considerations
Additional factors to be considered are
• Plant type/growth habit: Many varieties of tomato are grown all over the country. Growth habit of tomato can be determinate, semi-determinate and intermediate. Determinate types are usually early and suitable for open field.Indeterminate and semi-determinate types aremost suitable for polyhouse cultivation.
• Fruit quality: Size, colour, taste, shelf life, flavor, texture,uniform fruiting, and resistance to cracking are important. Short calyx fruit is desirable since a long calyx on the fruit can damage adjacent fruit during packing. Fruits with deep red colour, more pulp and medium stout are preferable. Good storage capacity is suitable for distant marketing.
• Varietal purity: The minimum standard set for physical purity in tomato is 98 percent. Genetic purity is set to be cent percent.
• Seed cost: The cost should be reasonable and enough to be met with the profit due to the yield advantage of the crop variety sown.
Promising varieties of tomato
| Features | Recommended cultivar |
|---|---|
| Kharifand Rabiseason | Rajashree, Dhanashree, Bhagyshree, N.S.-535, N.S.-815,Pusa ruby, Punjab chhuhara, Pusa Hybrid-1 and Pusa Hybrid-2, HS-10,Pant Bahar |
| Rabi and Summer season | N.S.-816 |
| Distant market | Ankur-128, H.T.M 108, Lirika, Manisha, Hrishi, T.H.-390, Pradnya, Apurva, ArkaShreshta, Pusa Hybrid 2, Manmohan,Akash |
| Yield | Nath Amrut-101, Nath Amrut-210, Kuber Gita, Avinash-2, Nath Amrut-901, Nath Amrut-601, Nath Amrut-110, Hybrid Chuhara, Divya, Pusa Hybrid 1, Hybrid No. 15, Hybrid No. 14, Swarna, Suman, Century-12,Pusa Red Plum,Sioux |
| Early types | Pusa Early Dwarf, Pusa Red Plum |
| Local market | H.T.M.185, Abhiman |
| Deepcolour and processing value | H.T.M 108, Kuber Gita, Ratna, Lirika, Rasika, Avinash-2, Hybrid Chuhara, Minakshi, Madhuri, Arth-4, ArkaAbhijeet, Arti, Supriya, Arth-3, T.H.-390, Pradnya, Apurva, Vishal Arka, ArkaVardan, ArkaShreshta, Pusa Hybrid 4, Pusa Red Plum, Manmohan, Century-12, Suraksha, N.S.-535, Rupali, Ramya |
| Resistant to tomato yellow virus and susceptible to mosaic virus | Avinash-2,ArkaAnanya, KashiVishesh, KashiAmrit, COTH 2, TNAU Tomato Hybrid Co3 |
| Resistant to Verticiliumand Fusarium | Hrishi,Karnataka,I.A.H.S.88-1,I.A.H.S.88-2,Shital,Mangala,Vaishalee,Navin |
| Resistant to rootknot nematode | Karnataka,Pusa-120, Pusa Hybrid-2, Pusa Hybrid-4, ArkaVardan, HisarLalit, TNAU Tomato Hybrid Co3 |
| Resistant to bacteria wilt | ArkaShreshta, Suraksha,ArkaAnanya, ArkaAbhijit, ArkaAbha, ArkaAlok |
| Kitchen gardening | Hybrid No. 15 |
| Poly house cultivation | Suman,Avatar and Avinash hybrids |
| Resistant to fruit cracking | N.S.-812, Ustava |
| TSS of fruit juice (5.0-5.2 brix) | Amogh, Arth-4, Suraksha |
| Semi-spreading with bushy nature | Ankur-128 |
| Resists hot season | Pusa Hybrid 1, Hrishi, Kuber Gita,Vaishalee |
| Storability | ArkaAbhijeet, Manisha, H.T.M 108 |
| Organic farming | Open Pollinated Varieties (OPVs) |
| Hybrids | ArkaAbhijit, ArkaShresta, Arka Vishal, ArkaVardan, Pusa Hybrid 1, Pusa Hybrid 2, COTH 1 Hybrid Tomato, Rashmi, Vaishali, Rupali, Naveen, Avinash 2, MTH 4, Sadabahar, Gulmohar and Sonali |
| Determinate | Vaishali,ArkaAlok,S-152,Punjab Chuhra,Roma,Co 1,Pusa Early Dwarf,Rajni,Rashmi,Rupali, |
| Semi-determinate | ArkaVikas, ArkaSaurabh, ArkaMeghali, ArkaAhuti, ArkaAshish, ArkaAbha, ArkaShreshta, ArkaAbhijit |
| Indeterminate | Best of All, Marglobe, Arka Vishal, ArkaVardan, |
| Zone | Recommended cultivar |
|---|---|
| All over India | ArkaSaurabh, ArkaVikas, ArkaAhuti, ArkaAshish, ArkaAbha , ArkaAlok, HS101, HS102, HS110, HisarArun, HisarLalima, HisarLalit, HisarAnmol, KS.2, Narendra Tomato 1, Narendra Tomato 2, Pusa Red Plum, Pusa Early Dwarf, Pusa Ruby, Co-1, CO 2, CO 3, S-12, Punjab Chhuhara, PKM 1, Pusa Ruby, Paiyur-1, Shakthi, SL 120, PusaGaurav, S 12, Pant Bahar, Pant T3, SolanGola and ArkaMeghali |
| South, East and Central India | Ustava |
| East and South India | Amogh |
| East and North India | N.S.-816 |
| Plains of South and East | N.S.-815 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Pusa Hybrid 1 |
| Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. | ArkaVardan,KashiVishesh |
| Punjab, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh | Vishal Arka |
| hill regions | Abhiman,Sioux |
| Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, East Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka | Arth-3 |
| Punjab, Bihar Plains of U.P., Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. | Arth-4 |
| winter season for Northern plains | HS-101 |
Ambika Rajendran*, Dhanadapani Raju*
Scientist, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa campus, New Delhi-110012
