TOMATO

Solanum, sect. Lycopersicon, Solanaceae

Solanum lycopersicum L.
(ex Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)
 Botanical Characters
Family Solanaceae
The first botanical classification by Carlo Linneo in 1753
was Solanum lycopersicum (lyco-persicum comes from
Latin and means wolf fishing)

In the Miller Gardeners Dictionary of 1768 published the

name of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.

Hermann Karsten published in 1881 the formally correct

name of Lycopersicon lycopersicum (International Plant
Protection Regulations: Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L.)
Karst. Ex Farwell)

The official name is today Solanum lycopersicum L. (then

genus Solanum !!!)
Flower ofSolanum lycopersicum

Flower of Solanum tuberosum

 Source center and domestication
Originating in the South American area between Chile and
Ecuador, with subsequent areas of improvement in Central America
The center of origin of most species
of the Solanum genus is considered
both the Latin American area of
southern Ecuador, Peru and northern
Chile, where, between the Pacific
coast and the Cordillera of the Andes,
it is still today Spontaneous.

Subsequently it spread to Central

America (southern Mexico, Guatemala,
Honduras, S. Salvador) where the
first domestication was carried out by
the Aztecs who were the first to
cultivate and consume it (xitomatl).
 Travel of Tomato
Arrives in Europe in 1540 imported by
Spanish Hernán Cortés.
By the middle of the fifteenth century,
there are the earliest historical
references in Europe (Mattioli, 1554)
with different names: Pomi d’oro, mala
aurea, poma amoris; Was also called
after the introduction in Italy, a mala
peruviana
Introduced in Italy from Spain in 1596

Tomatoes, Tomato
Denominations in French, English,
German and in some northern Italian
dialects
Names with the original phonetic root
from the TUMATL atzeco
Mexico would seem to be one of the first
domestication areas of tomato, starting from
wild-shrub (cherry)
TOMATO

Annual herb plant

Stem pubescent and erect in

early vegetative phases, then
decumbent

Fibrous and very branched

radical (80-100 cm) but most
roots remain in the layer of 40
cm.
 SEED

The seeds are crushed, crimson

rheniform, covered with dense hair.
The weight of 1000 seeds is 3-3.3 g; In
one gram are contained 290-350 seeds,
one liter of seed weighs 300-400 g; The
germination duration is 4 years.

For seed marketing: minimum germination of 75%

12 hr
Plantule
 Flower
The flowers have five-piece
chalice and corolla, with five
bilocular anthers joined to the
apex, ovary multi-lingual ovary and
protruding column style or not
from the stamens hose.
Inflorescence
flowers are gathered in Raceme or Cyme
 Fruits

The tomato plant accumulates a considerable part of the assimilated in fruits

Harvest index = ratio between fruit weight and plant weigh t> 50-60%
 Fruit (1)
The fruit is a yellow to red color berry according to the ratio between the two
main pigments (lycopene and b-carotene), presents:
Smooth and thin exocarp (peel);
Mesocarp red, fleshy and rich in juicy sweet-acidity flavor;
Endocarp with two or more logs, containing placental tissue and numerous seeds.
 Fruit (2)
Membrane exocarp
Mesocarp fleshy
Endocarp divided into logges with
deliberate placental tissue, in which
the seeds are immersed.
 BERRY

PULP AND JUICE 96-97%

PEEL 1.5-2.5%

SEEDS 1-1.5%
 Characteristics of Berry
Shape
round, Flattened, oval, elongated

Variable size
small, medium, big

(cultivar, enviroment, technic)

 Characteristics of Berry
Shape
round , flattoned, oval, elongated

Variable Size
small, medium , big

(cultivar, enviroment, technic)

Shape
Shape
The water content, expressed as a
percentage on fresh weight,
increases with the increase in fruit
and maturation
Dry matter, as a percentage of fresh
weight, decreases from 17% to 5-7%
in mature fruit
 Organoleptic characteristics
Organoleptic characteristics=
f(soluble solids)

Soluble solids = 85-90%total solids 

Refractometric index °Brix

Soluble solids predominantl sugars

and organic acids

Ratio acidity/sugars + volatile

compounds = organoleptic
characteristics

pH< 4.3
 Pigments
Carotenoids soluble in apolar organic solvents and
poorly soluble in ethyl alcohol
96% of which LICOPEN 85% (3 to 20 mg / 100 g)

Xantofille 4% (partially soluble in alcohol and in water

and poorly in petroleum ether)

Optimal temperature for lycopene = 16-21 ° C

Inhibition of lycopene at T> 30-32 ° C

Other carotenes (-, -, -,  -carotene, phytene and

phytofluene)
No inhibition at T> 30 ° C

Sunshine
Plants with low leaf coverage
Color tending to yellow-orange
 0.06
ciliegia

lipophilic antioxidant activity

0.05

0.04
grappolo

0.03

insalataro
Antioxidant
0.02
allungato

activity of 0.01

various types 0.00

of cherry 0 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.9

tomato hydrophilic antioxidant ability
 Aim of genetic improvement
• Apart from the resistance to diseases (especially viroids
and tracheomycosis agents), nematodes and biotic stress
(in this case, the characters are generally polygenic) the
goals of genetic improvement concern:

• Tomato:
• Medium-large size;
• Organoleptic characteristics;
• Long shelf-life;
• Intense color;
• Vitamin C content;
• Nutraceutical characteristics
• (Often linked to the content of pigments, eg lycopene)
• Tomato from industry - concentrated:
• Gross piece;
• Dry residue> 5-6.0% (sugars> 45% r.s.);
• High in acids;
• Peduncle jointless;
• Vitamin C content;
• consistency;
• Contemporary maturation;

• Tomato from industry - peeled:

• Elongated shape (san marzano);
• Easy detachment of the skin;
• Abdominal rot resistance;
• Contemporary maturation;
• juice;
• Intense color;
• High in vitamins.
Genetic e breeding

Pomodoro Sunblack
Tomato in outdoor cultivation
 Processing of Soil
It is preferable to prepare the sowing bed at the beginning of the
previous autumn = autumn-vine cereals are the most suitable
precession.
On heavier terrain where waterproofing occurs due to the
presence of compact clay layers, a tool that can be used before
plowing is the ripper (plow-mole).
With the use of the ripper the plowing can be less profound and
limited to 25-30 cm instead of the traditional 40 cm.
In general, it is never opportune for the autumn work of
preparation to cause excessive soil cleavage.
For this purpose the milling is uncommon and the harrows prefer,
preferably rotary.
The preparation of the soil once plowed (possibly grubbing),
eradicated and smudged, can be said ended.
 Fertilization
The contribution of s.o. On the soil, either in the form of manure or
other organic material (eg crop residues, pollen) is a recommended
practice.
However, the scarcity of manure in tomato fields causes only mineral
fertilization.
The amount of manure should be around 40-60 t / ha.
For each 1 t of product the removals are:
2-3 kg of N
0.6-0.7 kg per P2O5
3.5 to 4.0 kg per K2O
3.8 kg per CaO
0.7 kg for MgO
The fruit contains about 25% nitrogen absorbed by the plant, 75%
phosphorus and 60% potassium.
 Fertiliser inputs

Prod. N P2O5 K 2O CaO MgO

(t/ha) (kg/ha) (kg/ha) (kg/ha) (kg/ha) (kg/ha)
Outdoor
50-60 100-150 90-120 200-300 50-80
50 130 100 200
Greenhouse
120-150 500-700 100-300 750-1.000 150
100 300-400 100-200 500-800

The contribution of nutrients varies depending on the climatic conditions

of the cultivation plant, soil type and fertility rate (chemical analysis)!
 Implant
It can be either direct sowing or plant transplant.
With the evolution of plant seedling techniques, the
introduction of increasingly sophisticated transplanting
machines and the rapid rise in labor cost that has led
horticultists to alternative choices has been a major spread
of transplantation.
MODALITY OF IMPLANT
Transplantation allows, with respect to
direct sowing, reductions of:
Water consumption, especially when the crop
begins in summer
Use of pesticides and herbicides
Use of grafted seedlings

Costi!!!
The amount of seed to be used per unit of surface must take into
account the nature of the soil.
> In clay soils and in those with a tendency to form the crust
<In loose or sandy soils
2-3 to 4 kg / ha using traditional seed drills,
0.4-0.6 to 1.0 kg / ha with precision tires.
In very compact soil sowing with the use of special precision seeders.
The sowing time falls in the second half of March, but it is possible to
sow until mid-May.

!!!! Caution !!!! At high temperatures

With plants at the 5-7th true leaf
Stop vegetative growth and delay and reduce production.
Sowing Depth:
Do not exceed 3 cm in strong and clay soils (average = 1-2 cm) to reach
max 5 cm in loose ones (average = 2-3 cm).
Transplantation is carried out with plants of 4-5 leaves high 10-15
cm.
It is preferable that the seedlings have a sturdy and slightly
elongated fusticine.
Modern transplanters can have pliers distributors (more suitable
for seedlings with naked roots) or a bottom-opening glass that
drops the seedlings with ground bread at regular intervals in the
closed loop.
These can be equipped with a distributor that allows a small amount
of water and microgranulators to be used for localized fertilization
and soil disinfection.
The use of transplantation can allow better cultivation planning.
By alternating transplantation to seedlings, it is possible to schedule
the harvesting time (necessary when harvesting mechanically) by
expanding plant timing, anticipating or delaying planting without
serious repercussions on production levels.
 Implant
• The single-row system is preferable to the one-rowed system.
• It allows easier access to mechanical operations and better
ventilation of the vegetation (better control of fungal
parasites).
• The twisted row makes sense for sliding irrigation or even
better to drop.
• Distances of 35-45 cm between the binary files and 80-150
between the bins
• Limiting the freedom of choice to achieve the desired crop
density is related to the use of the mechanical harvesting
medium that will require the distance between the files (simple
or double).
 Irrigation

The seasonal irrigation volume in the industrial tomato is

between 3500 and 4000 m3 / ha; The total requirements (rain
+ irrigation) reach 6000-8000 m3 / ha.
Rain or dripping facilities.
 Hearvesting
• Harvesting is carried out when the fruits are
completely ripe, with 2-3 interventions (scalar
collection) or with one intervention when most fruits
are ripe (single harvest).
• The manual harvesting effort (50-60% of the cost of
production) favors the unique harvesting solution and
the use of mechanical harvesting cvs, which have
contemporary maturation and resistance to over-
maturation.
• The production is typically concentrated in August-
September.
The age of harvest depends on the type of crop and the pedoclimatic
conditions of the cultivation areas.
Beginning in July, it reaches the maximum between mid-August and
September and ends in October.
The ripening time has a significant influence on the quality of the
berry: generally in the summer the product is better for residual,
acidity, aroma and bunch.
Hand-picking is still practiced in family-run businesses for certain high
quality tomatoes that have undetermined development and require
support; Typical example is the San Marzano variety.
Hand harvesting in a crop that produces on average 50 t / ha of
berries requires about 60-70 working days (the cost of harvesting
affects 40-60% on PLV).
 Coultural cures
• Branching allows to eliminate the
axillary jets that grow at the base of
the leaves, to be performed when the
shoots are still young.
• The cracking consists in the
elimination of the vegetative apex and
serves to induce early cultivation.
• Generally performed over the fifth-
sixth floral stage. This practice does
not happen if you want to implement a
long production cycle by collecting it
until late fall.
 Sink-limited
Light

Source-limited

Temperature

 THINING BUNCH/FRUIT
 DEFOLIATION OF BOTTOM
Local Irrigation
 Hearvesting
• Harvesting takes place scalarly during the lesser
hours of the day.
• From the transplant at the beginning of the
collection, 90-100 days occur.
• In order to have the necessary maturity uniformity,
the collections must be made at short intervals: 4
days maximum.
• Production reaches maximum greenhouse levels
between 1500 and 3000 q / ha depending on the
cultivar and the length of the cultivation cycle.
• The fruits should be assorted for caliber (minimum
35-40 mm diameter, maximum 77-86 mm) and can be
stored for several days (3-4 weeks) at 5-7 ° C
temperature and high relative humidity ( 85-90%).
 Maturation
• Different levels of maturation:
• At the apex of the berry, the skin assumes the first pink shades
affecting a surface not exceeding 10% of the total;
• When color is dyed, ie when no more than 30% of the surface of
the berry is pink;
• To pink maturation, ie when pink color affects 30-60% of the total
surface;
• To red-pink maturation, when the pink color is red and the
affected surface is 60-90%;
• To red maturation, when berries have assumed the typical red
coloring or, however, when over 90% of the surface is red.
• In the case of tomatoes, the optimum maturation stage
corresponds to the 1 ° -2 ° level; While the 4th or 5th level is
suitable for collecting varieties of varieties, single or clustered.
 TABLE TOMATO
Different phases of Ripening