Grow Tomatoes Year-Round with IARI’s Protected Cultivation Technology and Earn Lakhs

May 26, 2025 Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), IARI Advisory

IARI Advisory for Tomato Farmers in India

26 May 2025, New Delhi: If you’re currently growing tomatoes or planning to start, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, has introduced a breakthrough technology that could transform your farming journey. Compared to traditional open-field farming, protected cultivation not only offers higher profits but also enables farmers to grow off-season vegetables and boost their income significantly.

What is Protected Cultivation and Why is it Beneficial?

Protected cultivation refers to growing crops inside controlled structures like polyhouses or net houses. Under these conditions, tomato plants can thrive for 10 to 11 months, whereas in open fields, their lifespan is limited to just 3 to 4 months. This extended harvest window allows farmers to continue picking fruit over a longer period, ensuring steady earnings throughout the year.

Choosing the Right Tomato Varieties is Key

IARI Pusa has developed several high-yielding and advanced tomato varieties ideal for protected cultivation. These varieties are indeterminate, meaning they keep growing and can reach heights of 20 to 25 feet.

Pusa Rakshit: A hybrid variety, ideal for protected environments.
Pusa Tomato Protected-1: Produces round, clustered fruits that are visually appealing.
Pusa Cherry-1: Round, shiny red cherry tomatoes with great visual and taste appeal.
Pusa Golden Cherry Tomato-2: Produces golden-colored fruits rich in beta-carotene (Vitamin A) and Vitamin C.

Propagation Through Cuttings

Besides seeds, these varieties can also be propagated using cuttings. By planting axillary buds (side shoots) in a soilless medium, roots develop within 8 to 10 days, and the seedlings become ready for transplanting in 22 to 25 days.

Planting Guidelines

Maintain a spacing of 50 cm between plants and 100 cm between rows. Use the single-stem (single shoot) training method for better yield and space management. On an area of just 1,000 square meters, farmers can earn up to ₹1,30,000 as net income through protected cultivation.

Pest Management in Summer

The hot season often brings an increase in sap-sucking pests like whiteflies, spider mites, and red mites. Effective pest control measures include:

Yellow sticky traps to monitor pest populations.
Neem oil spray: Mix 5 ml of neem seed kernel oil per liter of water for spraying.
Whitefly control: Use 1 ml of Imidacloprid in 3 liters of water.
Red mite control: Apply insecticides like Oberon or Omite as recommended.

A Profitable and Sustainable Farming Solution

Tomato cultivation under protected conditions is a technically advanced, sustainable, and highly profitable farming method. With the right varieties and techniques developed by IARI Pusa, farmers can ensure year-round production, high-quality yields, and better income stability.

Also Read: Scalability and Monetization Challenges in the Indian Agri-Tech Startup Ecosystem

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