Carbon – Nitrogen ratio on soils

Growing tomatoes can be successful in the soils of light textured sandy soils to heavy clay soils. Tomato crop yields higher in medium textured soils like sandy loam or loamy soils. The crop will yield higher if the soils that are rich in organic matter and inorganic nutrients. The crop requires soil pH 6.0 to 7.0. If farmers have decided growing tomatoes in the soils which have soil pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 7.0, their yield will not be satisfactory. If the soil pH is extremely lower or higher than this range, farmers better abort the idea of growing tomatoes in commercial scale in the soils. Some soil reclamation can also be done for it, but it requires application of enough lime.

Growing tomato is also dependent on the carbon-nitrogen ratio of soils. If the concentration of decomposed dry plant material is very high but nitrogen content is very low, it means that the carbon-nitrogen ratio is high. In such soils, roots of tomato plants ramify, and respire very well, but the tomato plants do not yield satisfactorily in such soils of very high carbon-nitrogen ratio. If carbon content is very low, but nitrogen content is very high, then the carbon-nitrogen ratio is very low. In such soils, growing tomatoes cannot become successful.

If carbon and nitrogen content are almost equal in the soils, the ratio is said to be unity. The unity varies. The ratio is also unity even if carbon and nitrogen contents both are very high but equal. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the soils is the most important factor that influences the carbon to nitrogen ratio of tomato plants. The carbon-nitrogen ratio finally influences fruit setting in the tomato plants.

If nitrogen content is very high in comparison to carbon content in the soils, the carbon-nitrogen ratio becomes very low. In such soils; if the tomato variety is efficient nitrogen absorber, then the vegetative growth of the tomato plants will be vigorous in the soils. Consequently, the system of the tomato plants will be very weak. The tomato plants will be very susceptible to diseases and pests if the carbon-nitrogen ratio of the plant is very low. Moreover, the fruit set will also be detrimentally affected. It will cause great loss to the farmers who are growing tomatoes in soils of very low carbon-nitrogen ratio. So be careful of it. You can examine the soils of your land by looseness of the soils. Higher is the carbon-nitrogen ratio; higher will be the looseness of the soils; then, more nutrients will be available to the tomato plants, consequently, healthier will be the tomato plants. Or you can send your soils to a soil test laboratory to examine carbon and nitrogen content of your soils. Then make decision for growing tomatoes.

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