Various soil preparation procedures are required, depending on the soil type and climatic location. The tomato plant needs a structured soil, medium texture and good drainage so as to allow for good development of roots, thus avoiding phytosanitary problems.
Fall soil preparation is recommended for heavier texture soils (clay and clay looms), while spring plowing is recommended for lighter textured soils (loam, silt and sandy loams).
The most widespread procedure of soil preparation is the conventional one, which consists of ploughing twice and one passage of roto tiller.
Lime should be applied a year in advanced of planting to allow time for reaction. One of the most important properties of the soil that should be checked is the pH level. Tomato plants grow well within a soil pH range of 5.5 to 6.8 with the optimum range being between 6.0 and 6.5. Within this soil pH range, the availabilities of most of the essential elements are at their optimum.
The tomato plant is considered moderately sensitive to salinity, the maximum soil electrical conductivity (salinity) level without a significant yield loss being 2.5 dS/m.
Essential soil nutrients that aid growth of healthy tomato plants include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. By evaluating the nutrients of the soil, the deficiencies can be corrected and creating the ideal soil composition for tomato plants.
A number of minor nutrients are also important including calcium, magnesium and sulfur and the trace elements boron and manganese.
Soil preparation for tomato plant
