It is easy to grow and maintain tomatillo plants as they rarely suffer from insect pest-related and disease – related damages. Though tomatillo is a perennial plant, it is grown as an annual plant for vegetable purposes. Growing duration of tomatillo plants is short and the crop is ready for harvest in 3-4 months. A detailed account of various growing requirement for tomatillo plants is given below:

Climate Requirements: Tomatillo plants are tropical and subtropical in growth habit. These plants prefer warm locations and open spaces where plenty of sunlight is available. Optimum temperature requirement for plant growth is about 25 to 30 °C. Tomatillo plants are cold-sensitive and the plant growth suffers at a temperature below 15 °C. Established plants are highly drought-tolerant.

Soil Requirements: The plants are adapted to a wide range of soils. However, well-drained, deep and fertile sandy loam soils are the most ideal soils for the growth of these plants. Optimum soil pH requirement is between 6 and 7.

Propagation and Planting: Tomatillo is propagated by seeds. Approximately 50- 60 grams of seeds are required to plant in one acre area. Seeds are highly viable and seed germination rate is 80-90% in all cases. Rooted cuttings may also be used for propagation. But propagation by cuttings is not a common practice.

Seeds are sown in well-prepared nursery beds. Maintaining a temperature range of 20-25 °C will accelerate the germination process. Seedlings emerge in 7 – 10 days. One month (5-leaves stage) or two months old seedlings may be transplanted in main fields when frosts are over. In frost-free areas, seeds may be sown directly in the main fields.

Field Preparation: Field may be prepared by 2-3 deep ploughings (25-30 cm deep) followed by levelling of the land. Recommended fertilizers are incorporated into the top soil at the time of field preparation. After preparing the land, the field is covered with plastic mulch for soil sterilization purposes.

If seeds are sown directly in the field, raised hills should be prepared for sowing seeds. 3-4 seeds are planted deep in the hills with a planting depth of 1 – 1.5 cm. When seedlings are of 15 cm height, thinning should be practiced by keeping only one seedling per hill. This is done in order to provide sufficient space for the seedlings to develop.

Spacing: Recommended spacing is 120 cm between two rows and 40 – 60 cm between two plants within the rows, depending on the cultivar type.

Manure and Fertilizer Requirements: Like all other Solanaceous vegetables, tomatillo plants are heavy feeders and highly productive. Sufficient manuring and fertilizer applications are necessary in tomatillo cultivation. 25-30 tons of farm yard manure or any other organic manures (compost, vermicompost etc) for one hectare area (1ha = 10, 000 square meter) may be incorporated into the top soil to replenish the soil fertility a few months before transplanting. Fertilizer application for tomatillo plants may be scheduled as shown below:

  • Basal dose, at the time of land preparation-FYM 25 t/ha
  • Basal dose of Nitrogen(N), Phosphorus(P) and Potash (K) at the time of planting-NPK 75:100:50 kg / ha or 15-15-15 NPK fertilizer@50 kg/ha
  • Top dressing of nitrogen-75 kg N/ha one month after transplanting
  • Trace elements required in deficient soils-Borax 10 kg and Zinc sulphate 50 kg / ha

Irrigation: Tomatillo crop needs regular watering during the initial stages of plant growth, until the plants get established in the soil. Established plants are fairly drought-resistant. As a rule, one crop of tomatillo may require 1000-1500 mm of rainfall or irrigational water. Generally, first irrigation is given soon after transplanting the seedlings. Thereafter, irrigation is done at weekly intervals depending upon the prevailing climate, soil moisture level, and plant needs. Mature plants may not need frequent watering.

Intercultural Practices: Staking and weed control are two important intercultural practices in tomatillo cultivation. Staking is needed to provide support for heavily-bearing fruit plants and also for preventing the fruit damage from soil-borne pathogens. Weeds may be controlled by providing mulches or by manual weed control practices.

Disease Pest Management in Tomatillos: Tomatillos are fairly disease-pest resistant plants. However, sometimes disease-pest related problems may occur. Disease pest management practices are similar to those of tomato plants.

Harvesting Maturity: As the crop nears harvesting stage, the berry completely fills the husk and in some cases husk begins to break. At this stage, fruits may be harvested. Generally, fruits are ready for harvesting 2-3 months after transplanting or 3-4 months after sowing seeds. Since fruits are covered by husks, quality of husk is also considered while harvesting. Bright green colour of the husk, its fresh appearance, and sufficient filling of the husk with the fruit are considered as harvest maturity indices. If fruits are allowed to remain on the plants for long time, fruit flavor is lost.

Harvesting and Yield: Fruit yield depends on the varietal type and cultural management practices. It is observed that fruit yield per plant may vary from 50 -200 fruits/plant/season. That is, approximately 1 kg fruits/plant or 9 – 10 tons/acre.

An average yield of 15 – 20 tons/ha may be expected from a well-managed crop. Being a high-yielding variety Rendidora tomatillos yields about 25 tons/ha. Rendidora variety is very popular among growers not only because of high yields but for its large-sized, commercial quality fruits also. Its fruits measures 5 to 7 cm in diameter.

Storage: Freshly harvested fruits can be stored at room temperature for one week. Even though the husk will dry up, the fruits will remain fresh. In refrigerators, fruits may be stored up to 2 weeks. For enhancing the shelf life of fruits up to 3 weeks, the fruits may be stored at 5°C to 10°C with 80-90% RH (relative humidity). Below 5°C, chilling injury of fruits may occur.

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