As a popular vegetable, the quality and yield of tomatoes directly affect farmers’ income and consumers’ taste experience. In the tomato planting process, the fruit expansion stage is particularly critical. This is an important period that determines the size, weight and appearance of tomato fruits. So, how can we effectively promote tomato fruit expansion and ensure high yield and high quality?
1. Tomatoes Expansion Period: Proper moisture management
Moisture is an important guarantee for tomatoes to expand. During the fruit expansion period, tomatoes’ demand for water increases significantly, and the soil needs to be kept moist to avoid sudden dryness and wetness. Especially when the fruits begin to change color, pay more attention to even irrigation to avoid excessive watering, which may cause fruit cracking or decrease in quality. At the same time, appropriate drainage measures are also essential to prevent water accumulation in the root system from affecting normal growth.
2. Scientific fertilization and balanced nutrition
The fruit expansion period is the peak period of tomatoes’ nutrient demand. Reasonable fertilization can not only improve the weight and quality of fruits, but also effectively prevent diseases. It is usually recommended to supplement potassium fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and trace elements, especially calcium and magnesium, during the tomotos expansion period. They play an important role in preventing internal holes and cracking of the fruit. Using drip irrigation or foliar spraying can improve fertilizer utilization and allow plants to absorb it more fully.
3. Temperature control and lighting
Suitable temperature and sufficient light are another key factors to promote tomato fruit expansion. The suitable temperature should be maintained at 25-30℃ during the day and not lower than 15℃ at night. Temperatures that are too high or too low will inhibit fruit expansion. In addition, the lighting time should be maintained at more than 8 hours a day, which is beneficial to photosynthesis and provides more nutrients to support fruit growth.
4. Thinning flowers and fruits at the right time
Reasonable loading is also the key to tomato expansion. Too many fruits will cause nutrient dispersion and affect the enlargement of individual fruits. According to the growth status of the plant and the number of fruits, timely thinning of flowers and fruits can concentrate the supply of nutrients to ensure that each fruit can receive sufficient nutrition to achieve high quality and high yield.
5. Tomatoes Expansion Period :Pest and disease control
The attack of diseases and insect pests will greatly affect the fruit expansion effect of tomatoes and even cause severe yield reduction. Especially in high temperature and high humidity environments, tomatoes are susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore, during the fruit expansion period, field management must be strengthened to prevent and control pests and diseases in a timely manner to ensure healthy fruit growth.
In general, the management of tomatoes expansion stage requires careful and scientific methods. Through water management, scientific fertilization, temperature and light control, timely fruit thinning, and pest and disease control, farmers can effectively increase the yield and quality of tomatoes and achieve the goal of a bumper harvest.
