Tomato planting technology and management methods

Tomatoes are an output that everyone is familiar with, and there are many friends who grow them in the vast rural areas of our country. Tomatoes are highly adaptable to their growing environment and can grow in paddy fields with sufficient sunlight. However, in order to ensure the later yield and quality of tomatoes, good ventilation conditions are essential. Let’s learn about tomato planting techniques and management methods.

1. Preparation before sowing

(I) Variety selection

Select tomato varieties that are disease-resistant, high-quality, high-yielding, resistant to storage and transportation, and have high market acceptance. When cultivating in winter and spring, you should choose early-maturing or mid-maturing varieties that are resistant to low temperatures, have low light requirements, and have fast fruit maturation, such as Zhejiang Za 203, Baili and Fudan. When cultivating in summer and autumn, you should choose medium and late maturing varieties that are resistant to high temperatures and viruses, such as Fontaine and Shengya.

(II) Selection and treatment of seedling raising sites

The location for raising tomato seedlings should be selected in a place that is sheltered from the wind, sunny, high and dry. To prevent seedling diseases, the nursery area should avoid planting tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, tobacco and other Solanaceae crops. Sandy loam with medium fertility and good grain structure is preferred. The land preparation for the nursery area should be in the north-south direction. The length of the ridge should be determined according to the terrain, with a width between 1.1 and 1.2 meters and a height of about 30 centimeters. Two weeks before land preparation, sprinkle 100 to 150 kg of quicklime on every 667 square meters of land, then plow and dry the land to kill pathogens, adjust soil pH and promote nutrient decomposition.

To prevent seedling diseases, it is best to disinfect the nursery ground. You can use equal amounts of pentachloronitrobenzene and mancozeb mixed (called the five-generation mixture), 10 grams of the medicine per cubic meter of land, mix the medicine with fine soil evenly and sprinkle it on the bed surface. Alternatively, use 10 to 20 ml of 40% formaldehyde, add 1.5 to 2 kg of water and spray evenly on the bed surface. Cover it with a film for 2 to 3 days, then remove the film and turn over the soil. Ventilate it for 2 to 3 days to ensure that the solution is completely evaporated, then level the soil and prepare for sowing.

(III) Preparation of nutrient soil

The preparation of nutrient soil is suitable for raising seedlings or raising seedlings with root protection in old vegetable areas. The preparation of nutrient soil usually uses new soil or garden soil or paddy field soil that has not been used to grow crops (such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes) for more than 3 years, adds decomposed organic fertilizer (such as pig manure, chicken manure) and rice husk ash, and mixes them evenly in a ratio of 5:3:2. Build the seedling greenhouse in early October, level the seedbed, and cover it with about 5 cm thick nutrient soil. 5 to 7 days before sowing, use 500 to 800 times diluted mancozeb, carbendazim, and thiophanate to disinfect the soil, spray the bed soil with a watering can, and cover it with plastic film. Then remove the film or open the greenhouse door, let the excess medicine evaporate for 2 days, level the soil and prepare for sowing. Nutrient soil can also be placed in nutrient pots or seedling trays in preparation for sowing.

2. Sowing and Seedling Raising

(I) Sowing time

In Fujian, seedlings are grown in plastic sheds in spring from November to December, and attention should be paid to heat preservation and lowering humidity. For autumn cultivation, seedlings should be raised under appropriate shade facilities from early August to early September, paying attention to shading and protection from heavy rain. For summer cultivation in alpine open fields, seedlings are raised from early March to late April. The plastic shed used for seedling cultivation must be covered with polyvinyl chloride drip-free long-life film to ensure good light transmittance and heat preservation performance.

(ii) Sowing method

The tomato sowing rate is 10 to 20 grams per 667 square meters. If you are transplanting, you will need 3 to 4 square meters of seedling land. If transplanting is not done, the amount of seeds in the nursery area will be larger. In order to ensure that the seedlings have enough growth space, about 45 to 50 square meters are required.

Sowing: Sow in small amounts and multiple times to ensure that the seeds are evenly spread on the seedbed, and then cover with 1 cm thick fine soil or medicated soil.

Row sowing: When sowing in rows, first dig shallow trenches 1 cm deep and 8 cm apart on the seedbed, then sow the seeds in the trenches and cover them with 1 cm thick fine soil or medicinal soil.

Sowing in seedling trays: In a specially made seedling tray, spread nutrient soil or substrate to 1 cm from the tray surface. After watering the bottom, sow 1 to 2 seeds in each hole. After sowing, cover with 1 cm thick sterilized fine soil, culture soil or substrate. If peat, vermiculite and other substrates are used, they must be compacted to prevent the seeds from being unearthed with caps.

(III) Seedling management

Environmental control: In terms of temperature, shade nets are used to cool down seedlings in summer and autumn, while insulation measures are used for seedlings in winter and spring. In terms of lighting, reflective curtains are used to increase light in winter and spring seedling cultivation, while appropriate shading and cooling are used in summer and autumn and autumn and winter seedling cultivation. In terms of water management, the seedbed or seedling container should be kept moderately moist and watered appropriately according to the season and soil moisture. When raising seedlings in protected areas, pay attention to ventilation, reduce the humidity of the space, and reduce seedling diseases.

Thinning and transplanting: Mainly used in broadcast breeding of seedlings in winter and spring. When the seedlings have 2 true leaves and 1 heart leaf, remove the sick and weak seedlings and transplant them to the seedling bed or container. After transplanting, water them enough to allow them to take root. Depending on the growth of the seedlings, carry out a second transplant when they have 3 to 4 true leaves, and pay attention to keeping warm and reducing humidity.

Fertilizer and water management: During the seedling stage, water and fertilizer control is the main focus. When the seedlings have 3 to 4 true leaves or after transplanting, apply 1 to 2 times of seedling-raising fertilizer according to the condition of the seedlings. Use potassium sulfate type ternary compound fertilizer at a ratio of 0.2%.

Seedling hardening: Seedlings should be hardened at low temperature in early spring, with the daytime temperature controlled at 15 to 20°C and the nighttime temperature at 10 to 5°C. During summer and autumn seedling cultivation, gradually remove the shade nets and control the water content appropriately. Combine disease prevention with spraying 1000 times of thiophanate-methyl or 500 times of mancozeb.

Indicators for strong seedlings: For spring and summer cultivation, the seedlings should be 25 cm tall, with a stem thickness of more than 0.6 cm and large buds. Seedlings for summer and autumn and autumn and winter cultivation have 4 true leaves and 1 heart leaf, plant height is about 15 cm, stem thickness is about 0.4 cm, and can be cultivated within 25 days. The leaves are dark green and free from diseases and insect pests.

3. Planting at the right time

(I) Preparation before planting

Apply basal fertilizer after land preparation. Among the basal fertilizer applied, phosphorus fertilizer accounts for more than 80% of the total amount of fertilizer applied, and nitrogen fertilizer and potassium fertilizer account for 50% to 60%. Apply 3,000 to 4,000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer (organic matter content above 9%) per 667 square meters. After spreading organic fertilizer, deep plowing should be done to a depth of 25 to 30 cm. Make beds according to local planting habits.

(ii) Planting time

For spring and summer cultivation, plant out after the late frost when the ground temperature stabilizes above 10°C. For summer, autumn and high mountain cultivation, choose to plant on cloudy or sunny evenings.

(III) Planting method and density

The soil is covered with plastic film and planted in double rows with an average row spacing of 70 cm and plant spacing of 45 cm. Depending on the characteristics of the variety, pruning methods, length of the growing season, climatic conditions and cultivation habits, 1,400 to 1,800 plants are planted per 667 square meters.

4. Field Management

(I) Fertilizer and water management

Use sub-film drip irrigation or dark irrigation. Water the plants promptly after transplanting, water them to help the seedlings grow after 3 to 5 days, and then allow the seedlings to stunt. After the first bunch of fruits is firmly planted, stop stunting the seedlings and start watering and applying fertilizer. During the fruiting period, the soil moisture range should be maintained at 60% to 80% of the soil's maximum water holding capacity. Apply fertilizer in time according to soil fertility, length of plant growing season and growth conditions. After deducting the base fertilizer, apply it with water in several times. In addition, foliar fertilizer can be applied once every 10 to 15 days, such as spraying 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, urea, etc. to meet the fertilizer and water needs during the fruit setting period. In areas where the soil is deficient in trace elements, the type and amount of topdressing should be increased according to the deficiency.

(ii) Plant adjustment

The main methods of tomato pruning include single-pole pruning, one-and-a-half-pole pruning and double-pole pruning. Choose the appropriate pruning method according to the planting density and purpose. Double-pole and single-pole pruning are the most commonly used methods. When double-pole pruning, use thin bamboo poles to form an "H-shaped frame" for support, and select the first side branch under the first inflorescence of the plant as the second main branch to bloom and bear fruit together. When pruning with a single pole, you can hang the vines or build an upright frame. To improve the commercial quality of the fruit, leave 6 to 10 ears of fruit on the main branches and remove the top, and leave 2 to 3 leaves on the top inflorescence and remove the top in time. In addition, when the first bunch of fruits is the size of an egg, you can leave 1 to 2 leaves under the first bunch of fruits, and the rest of the leaves can be removed. When cultivating in the open field on high mountains, prevent sunburn and fruit cracking, and plant them appropriately densely or leave more branches and leaves. Except for cherry tomatoes, for large-fruit varieties, select 3 to 4 fruits per bunch, for medium-fruit varieties, select 4 to 6 fruits per bunch, and for each plant, select 5 bunches of fruits. For summer cultivation in the open field at high altitudes, keep 3 to 4 fruits in the first bunch of large-fruited tomatoes, and 4 to 6 fruits in the second bunch and above. When growing tomatoes on a large scale in greenhouses, releasing bees can be used for pollination instead of treating flowers with hormones such as anti-drop agents or 2,4-D.

(III) Preventing flowers and fruits from falling

Causes of flower and fruit drop: Flower drop is a common phenomenon in tomatoes, which has a great impact on early maturity and early high yield. The main reasons for falling flowers and fruits are: too low temperature (night temperature below 15℃), too high temperature (night temperature above 25℃ or day temperature above 35℃), heavy rain during flowering period, etc., which affect the germination of pollen and the elongation of pollen tube; insufficient nutrition and water in the soil, poor root development; improper fertilization, excessive growth of plant stems and leaves; insufficient light, untimely pruning and branching; damage from diseases and pests, etc.

Preserving flowers and fruits: When cultivating tomatoes off-season in early spring and winter, when 2 to 3 flowers of the first inflorescence are blooming, you can use 10 to 15 mg/L 2,4-D liquid to apply to the pedicels or soak the inflorescences, or use 30 mg/L anti-drop agent (fruit set spirit, tomato spirit) liquid to apply to the pedicels or soak the inflorescences or spray the inflorescences to prevent flowers and fruits from falling. Be sure to add a small amount of colored ink to the prepared solution for marking to avoid repeated flower dotting and resulting in phytotoxicity. Use the same method to treat each subsequent sequence of flowers when they bloom. Thin out flowers and fruits promptly after fruit setting

5. Pest and disease control

In tomato production, the main pests include whitefly, American leafminer, red spider, cotton bollworm and fall armyworm. The main diseases include sudden wilt, viral disease, bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt, late blight, early blight, leaf mold, gray mold, etc.

6. Fruit Ripening and Harvesting

The temperature is relatively low in the middle and late stages of off-season tomato cultivation in delayed autumn greenhouses, and it is generally difficult for the fruits to ripen naturally, so ripening methods can be used. There are three commonly used ripening methods in production, namely, heat preservation ripening, growth hormone treatment, and fruit coating.

(I) Heat preservation and ripening

After picking the tomatoes that have just changed color, they should be stored in a warm place at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius to allow the fruits to ripen slowly. After the fruits turn red, they are moved to a storage place at 5°C and relative humidity of 85% to 90%, and then supplied to the market in stages.

(ii) Growth hormone treatment

When the tomato fruits turn from green to white, pick them, soak them in 2000 mg/L ethephon for 1 minute, then take out the fruits and put them in a bamboo basket or container, cover them with straw, and then cover them with plastic film to keep them warm and moist. It is best to place them at 20 to 25°C, which is more conducive to the tomatoes turning red. You can also use 500 to 1000 mg/L of ethephon to spray the white fruits on the plants, but be careful not to spray the tender leaves on the upper part of the plants to avoid yellowing leaves, falling leaves and other pesticide damage. The fruit that has been spray-ripened has a better color.

(III) Applying fruits

When the fruits on the tomato plants in the greenhouse grow large enough and turn white, apply ethephon solution to the fruits. That is, apply cloth gloves soaked in 2000 mg/L ethephon on the fruit. After 3 to 4 days, the fruit will turn red. The fruit ripened by this method is evenly colored and has a good color. Alpine tomatoes are mostly sold in other places. In order to facilitate transportation and reduce losses during transportation, they should be harvested during the color change period or even the green ripe period. When harvesting, the fruit stalks must be strictly removed.

The above is an introduction to the key points of tomato cultivation technology. Tomatoes are what we usually call tomatoes. Currently, greenhouse cultivation is very common. Friends who want to plant them are advised to master the cultivation techniques first.