Tomato Performance in a Protected Structure: A Review

Abstract

In the event of climate change, sheltered agriculture might offer plenty of opportunity for high-value vegetable crop production to occur during the "off" season. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most significant high-value crops and a rich source of lycopene, β-carotene, phenols, flavonoids, and several vitamins. Growers can produce tomato fruit during the off-season and get higher prices in the market by using protected buildings like net houses, polyhouses, semi-high tunnels, and mulching. Through the modification of the natural environment, this technology has significantly improved productivity for areas with unfavourable weather conditions. In addition, it has extended the harvest period, increased yields, improved quality, increased production stability, and made fresh, high-quality produce available during the off-season, especially in Himalayan areas. From this study, it is pertinent to opine that tomato is high value vegetable crop in which protected cultivation is always advantage over open field cultivation. We highlight or briefly discussed the differences between growing tomatoes in an open field and under protection structure, as well as the growth characteristics, yield, and other quality parameters in this review.