Tomato Plants

The scientific name of tomato plants is Lycopersicon esculentum. The tomato plants are in the family of potato called Solanaceae. There are wild relatives of the tomato. One of the wild relatives is Lycopersicon pimpinelifolium from which useful disease resistance genes have been easily and successfully introduced to our commercial growing tomatoes.

There are three types tomato plants based on the growth pattern inside the cultivated species. Some tomato plants are indeterminate, some tomato plants are semi-determinate and some are determinate tomato plants. For growing tomatoes, the tomato variety should be carefully selected after contact with the national research stations. If you are growing tomatoes, you should select a tomato variety on the basis of the growth pattern and purpose of the growing tomatoes in the vegetable garden. You will easily recognize the growth pattern of the tomato varieties as bush type or vine type once you start growing tomatoes.

If you are growing tomatoes of indeterminate type, you will know that the tomato plants are indeterminate type when you see three shoots are coming out from the main stem after each inflorescence and they are developing in sprawling growth pattern. After three vegetative buds emerge, an inflorescence emerges. Such tomato variety looks like vine.

Main stem and shoots of the tomato plants of indeterminate vine type continue growing as long as the plants remain healthy, soils have enough fertility and moisture and the weather is favorable. For growing tomatoes of the indeterminate vine type, farmers must have applied enough farmyard manure and chemical fertilizers during the time of land preparation. Tomato farmers prefer growing tomatoes of semi-determinate vine type in their vegetable garden to sell the tomato fruits for fresh vegetable purpose.

If you are growing tomatoes of determinate bush type, alternate buds of shoot and inflorescence come out from the main shoot as well as side shoots. This growth pattern forces the tomato plants to develop into side branches. The branches of the tomato plants too terminate their growth in a flower cluster. This type of tomato plants set fruits over a brief period of about one month. Growing tomatoes of the determinate bush type is done outdoors for processing purpose.

Between the indeterminate and determinate types of tomato plants, the semi-determinate vine type lies with respect to the growth pattern. After each inflorescence in semi-determinate tomato plants, two vegetative shoots come out from main stem. This type of tomato plants also behaves like vine. Tomato farmers prefer growing tomatoes of semi-determinate type in their vegetable garden for the purpose of fresh consumption.

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