What to Do About Tomato Fruit Cracking? Causes and Control Methods Explained

Tomato is a common fruit and vegetable variety in our lives, eaten both as a fruit and as a vegetable. When we grow tomatoes, fruit cracking generally appears during the young fruit stage and when the fruit is close to ripening, which seriously affects tomato quality and thus reduces the economic returns of vegetable growers. So what causes tomato fruit cracking? And how should it be controlled? Let me give you a detailed introduction below.

1. Causes of Tomato Fruit Cracking

There are many causes of tomato fruit cracking. For example, the varietal characteristics of the tomato: some varieties have thinner skin, so the cracking is more serious. Next is improper ventilation timing, when ventilation is not carried out reasonably. There is also improper fertilizer and water management, which can also cause tomato fruit cracking. If tomatoes are not harvested in time when ripe, cracking can also occur later. Finally, if the pesticide sprayed is too concentrated or the spraying time is unreasonable, it can also cause cracking. These are the most common causes of tomato fruit cracking.

2. Symptoms of Fruit Cracking

When the causes of tomato fruit cracking differ, the symptoms shown by some tomatoes also differ. For example, there are two phenomena: top cracking and pattern cracking. Top cracking is when the fruit's navel area and the surrounding skin crack, sometimes even splitting in all directions. Pattern cracking is divided into several symptoms, including radial pattern cracking, concentric circular pattern cracking, striped pattern cracking and tomato transverse cracking, and the severity of cracking among them also varies, requiring case-by-case analysis.

3. Control Methods

There are many methods to control tomato fruit cracking, but they are all determined by the specific situation. First, we can choose tomato varieties resistant to cracking. Next is to reasonably control water and fertilizer, supplying fertilizer and water scientifically according to the tomato's water and nutrient needs. There is also scientific fertilization, reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizer and potassium fertilizer and ensuring the supply of calcium and boron. Finally, plant growth regulators can be used, sprayed at a reasonably prepared concentration, which can also achieve a preventive effect.

4. Planting Precautions

During the process of growing tomatoes, we should generally pay attention to these points, which can also provide good protection against tomato fruit cracking. First is control of the growing environment, reasonably controlling light intensity. Next is reasonably controlling the temperature of the planting site. There is also rational use of pesticides, paying attention to the time, temperature and concentration of pesticide spraying. Finally, pruning and removing side shoots should be done in moderation, to avoid excessive concentration of nutrients causing fruit cracking.

The above is all the content I want to share with you today, and I hope it can help you. Of course, in the process of growing tomatoes, preventing and controlling fruit cracking must be done step by step. As long as every step is done well, then basically fruit cracking will not occur.