Beginner guide for hydrophonic Farming
Our long history with tomatoes
Native to the Andes, tomatoes started traveling the world in the 1600’s. Though enjoyed as a food by its fellow Mesoamericans, the tomato was used mostly as an ornamental in Europe for centuries.
Over the years, the crop has become a favorite food and can now be found in practically every grocery, restaurant, and market stall. Its long history with the peoples of the world has resulted in hundreds of tomato varieties, from the dependable Roma to the garden-friendly Early Girl, and dozens of heirloom varieties like the Cherokee Purple.
Tomatoes are a member of the Nightshade family, along with potatoes, peppers, and eggplants. The fleshy fruits come in a versatile array of yellows, browns, oranges, pinks, purples, reds, and greens. They range from sweet and tart to smokey flavored and have graced too many dishes to count. Their popularity makes them a favorite crop, especially in Bato bucket systems and greenhouse settings.
While tomatoes are incredibly common, any shopper can testify to the difficulty of finding a good-quality tomato. Local farmers, who can get the fruit to shoppers fast after it ripens to sweetness on the vine, have a distinct advantage over larger growers in this regard.
Diseases
Early Blight :-
Early Blight (Alternaria solani): This is a common disease of tomato occurring on the foliage at any stage of the growth. The fungus attacks the foliage causing characteristic leaf spots and blight. Early blight is first observed on the plants as small, black lesions mostly on the older foliage. Spots enlarge, and by the time they are one-fourth inch in diameter or larger, concentric rings in a bull's eye pattern can be seen in the center of the diseased area. Tissue surrounding the spots may turn yellow. If high temperature and humidity occur at this time, much of the foliage is killed. Lesions on the stems are similar to those on leaves, sometimes girdling the plant if they occur near the soil line. Transplants showing infection by the late blight fungus often die when set in the field. The fungus also infects the fruit, generally through the calyx or stem attachment. Lesions attain considerable size, usually involving nearly the entire fruit; concentric rings are also present on the fruit. Control: Removal and destruction of the affected plant parts. Practicing crop rotation helps to minimize the disease incidence. Spraying the crop with Difolatan (0.2%), Dithane M-45 (0.2%) or Bavistin (0.1%) is recommended for effective disease control.
Late Blight :-
Late Blight (Phtophthora infestans): Late blight occurs when humid conditions coincide with mild temperatures for prolonged periods. If conditions are ideal for disease development, disease development is rapid causing severe economic losses. Lesions produced on the leaves are at first irregular, rather large, greenish-black and water-soaked. These areas enlarge rapidly, becoming brown, and under humid conditions, develop a white moldy growth near the margins of the diseased area on the lower surface of the leaves or on stems. The disease spreads rapidly under humid conditions, destroying quickly large areas of tissue. Lesions produced on the leaves are at first irregular, rather large, greenish-black and water-soaked. These areas enlarge rapidly, becoming brown, and under humid conditions, develop a white moldy growth near the margins of the diseased area on the lower surface of the leaves or on stems. The disease spreads rapidly under humid conditions, destroying quickly large areas of tissue. Fruit lesions occur as large, green to dark brown lesions, mostly on the upper half of the fruit, but they may also occur on other parts. White moldy growth may also appear on fruits under humid conditions. The disease attacks the fruits a well as the leaves of the plant. Symptoms on the fruits usually begin on the shoulders of the fruit because spores land on fruit from above. Control: Control practices include rotating fields so as not to follow potato or tomato; avoiding planting tomatoes near potatoes; using disease-free seeds and transplants. Adopting certain prophylactic measures can also control the disease. Firstly, the seed material should be obtained from a disease free area. Before planting the seeds should be treated with Thiram (2-3 g/kg of seed). The plants must be sprayed with Captafol (2 g/litre of water) or Dithane M 45 (2 g/kg of seed) at 15 days interval, starting from 30 days after transplanting.
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