Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Tomatoes are among the most commonly consumed vegetables in the U.S. and worldwide, prized for their rich nutritional profile. They are excellent sources of essential vitamins like A, C, E, K, and folate, as well as minerals such as potassium, iron, and magnesium. Tomatoes are also high in fiber, with one cup of cherry tomatoes providing approximately two grams, and they contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to various health benefits.In Tennessee, tomatoes hold significant importance in the state's agricultural landscape. The state is a major producer of fresh-market tomatoes, with production steadily increasing since 2001. This success is driven primarily by local small farmers, who not only contribute to the state's economy but also support rural communities. Fresh tomatoes from Tennessee reach consumers through farmers' markets and other retail channels, providing access to locally grown, high-quality produce. For small-farm producers, tomatoes are a major cash crop, essential for rural economies, supporting local livelihoods, and ensuring the availability of fresh, nutritious produce in local communities.However, rising temperatures are creating substantial challenges for fresh tomato production. Small farmers, who form the backbone of fresh-market tomato production, are particularly vulnerable to these climate-driven changes. Many have already experienced adverse effects, such as reduced yields, poor fruit quality, and disruptions in planting and harvesting schedules. This growing risk highlights the urgent need for sustainable and climate-resilient solutions to stabilize tomato production and protect the livelihoods of small-scale producers.This project focuses on providing critical solutions to support small farms in fresh-market tomato production, addressing the immediate challenges posed by rising temperatures. By deploying strategies such as planting heat-tolerant varieties, optimizing plant and soil-management practices, and integrating smart agriculture technologies, the project aims to improve resilience in tomato farming. The project's activities take place directly on farms, enabling the deployment of new technologies and tools in real time, ensuring practical and immediate benefits. Leveraging the expertise of senior scientists in both research and extension will bridge critical knowledge gaps and provide timely solutions for affected farmers. Additionally, collaboration with county extension agents and the creation of extension materials will help ensure that the project's outcomes are widely adopted across the farming community.The project entains two major objetives. Objective 1 is to develop a climate-resilient tomato production system (CrTPS). Faculty at Tennessee State University (TSU) will utilize their expertise and resources to assist local farms in diversifying tomato varieties, adopting grafted tomato plants to enhance root systems and improve water balance and heat tolerance, and employing various types of plastic mulch to manage soil microclimates. The project will also integrate smart farming technology to help farmers make informed decisions. Demonstration plots will be established on three farms to deploy and showcase the CrTPS, while smart agriculture tools will be used to monitor plant health and soil conditions. Objective 2 is to promote the CrTPS through extension and outreach activities. The project will develop extension tools that integrate on-farm demonstration materials and deliver them to a broad community of stakeholders through online and in-person workshops and training sessions.The project's outcomes will contribute to the protection and stabilization of fresh-market tomato production, particularly for small farmers, by equipping them with climate-resilient strategies to address rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns. These efforts will help stabilize yields, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality tomatoes for local markets. Additionally, the project will enhance human health and food security by ensuring the availability of nutritious, locally grown tomatoes. By improving the resilience of tomato farming systems, the project will contribute to a steady food supply, benefiting both the local and the broader communities.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The tomato is the second most significant vegetable crop globally, valued for its economic and nutritional importance. Tomato production is generally divided into two categories: processed tomatoes, used in products such as sauces and canned goods, and fresh-market tomatoes, consumed directly. In the United States, small farms are the primary producers of fresh-market tomatoes, contributing significantly to local economies and food systems.Tomatoes are self-pollinated plants. Fertilized ovules produce auxin, which triggers pericarp cells (fleshy tissues) to divide and initiate fruit set. Tomatoes thrive at daytime temperatures of 20-30°C and nighttime temperatures of 17-19°C. However, pollination and fertilization are inhibited when daytime and nighttime temperatures reach 32-35°C and 24-26°C, respectively, causing unfertilized flowers to abscise and drop. Prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures can completely halt fruit set. Heat stress also reduces tomato yield and quality and alters flavor and bioactive composition, including vitamin C, phytoene, lycopene, γ-carotene, and violaxanthin levels. Rising temperatures have become a significant challenge to tomato production in the U.S. and globally, resulting in lower yields and reduced quality.In Middle Tennessee, small farms play a vital role in fresh tomato production, supplying regular customers through neighborhood sales, farmers' markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, and the Farm to Families initiative. Traditionally, tomato plants are established in heated high tunnels (HT) between late February and early March, enabling growers to capitalize on early market prices. Non-heated HT and open-field plantings occur post-frost, targeting peak harvests in July and August. Farmers typically plant tomatoes in the spring and harvest them until frost kills the plants in late fall.In response to rising temperatures in recent years, many growers have adapted their practices, incorporating 2-3 planting cycles to avoid the summer heat and stabilize production levels. Despite these adjustments, the summer of 2024 presented significant challenges, with consistent high temperatures of 32-37°C from mid-June through August, coupled with drought conditions. These factors shortened the production season, reduced yields, and compromised fruit quality. Such adverse conditions disrupted local tomato production, jeopardizing the economic viability of small farms and risking the loss of regular customers.This trend of increasing temperatures is expected to continue or worsen, with projections indicating sustained rises through 2050. Small farmers, therefore, face escalating challenges to maintain viable tomato production. Developing a resilient production system is essential to safeguard the supply chain of fresh produce and ensure the economic sustainability of rural communities dependent on this critical agricultural sector.The goal of this project is to enhance fresh-market tomato production in the face of climate change, ensuring a stable supply of fresh tomatoes for local and regional markets. This goal will be achieved through two primary objectives:Objective 1: Develop a Climate-Resilient Tomato Production System (CrTPS). Faculty at Tennessee State University (TSU) will leverage their expertise to help tomato growers: diversify their tomato varieties, focusing on heat tolerance; adopt grafted tomato plants to enhance root systems and improve water balance and heat tolerance; use various types of plastic mulch to manage soil microclimate; and apply smart-farming technologies to make informed crop-management decisions. Demonstration plots will be established on three farms to implement and showcase the CrTPS. Objective 2: Promote CrTPS through Extension and Outreach Activities.The project will develop extension materials highlighting the on-farm demonstration findings and deliver them to a wide range of stakeholders through online and in-person workshops and training sessions.The project was developed by actively engaging with local tomato producers, the university extension system, and representatives from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. By involving these stakeholders, the project aligns closely with the needs of the local farming community and food supply network. The expertise of senior scientists in research and extension plays a critical role in bridging knowledge gaps and providing timely, science-based solutions to farmers. Collaborative efforts with county extension agents and the creation of comprehensive, user-friendly extension materials will facilitate the adoption of innovative practices. These initiatives aim to enhance the resilience and sustainability of fresh-market tomato production, supporting both the economic viability of small farms and the regional food system's stability.
Project Methods
This project has two objectives, each to be achieved using different methods. Objective 1 will focus on the development of a climate-resilient tomato production system (CrTPS). Based on feedback from farmers impacted by the 2024 summer heat, the project's key priorities have been identified as maintaining healthy and productive tomato plants, extending the growing season, and reducing the labor required for replanting in both HT and open-field systems. Accordingly, the project will focus on four components of the CrTPS: 1) tomato variety, 2) grafting, 3) plastic mulch, and 4) smart-farming technology. The CrTPS will be implemented on three farms: Eldridge Farm in Woodlawn, which cultivates approximately 5,000 to 6,000 tomato plants in both HT and open-field systems; Smiley's Farm in Ridgetop, which grows around 12,000 tomato plants in open fields; and Little Creek Produce in Cookeville, which focuses exclusively on HT production. All three farms are well-established, with years of experience in tomato cultivation, and they serve distinct customer bases.We will select commercially available, heat- and disease-resistant heirloom and F1 varieties (such as 'Cherokee Carbon,' 'Florida 91,' 'Summer Set,' and 'Arkansas Traveler') along with varieties identified from phenotyping heat-tolerant tomato lines at TSU. Tomato plants will be grafted onto rootstocks such as DR0138TX or Maxifort. Three types of plastic mulch - black, red, and reflective white - will be installed side by side, with grafted and non-grafted seedlings from each variety planted on each type of mulch. We will also explore the reflective sunscreening materials as suggested by the farmers. Syngenta's 'Spiio' sensors will be used to record soil temperature, moisture, and salinity at a 5 cm depth in the topsoil layer. As part of the demonstration plots, we will evaluate the effects of these treatments. Tomato varieties will be planted using a randomized experimental layout, with a minimum of five plants per variety in each replicate in HT, and 10 plus plants in open field. Soil analysis will be conducted before planting, and field management will follow the regular practices of each farm.For all plots on the three farms, Syngenta 'Spiio' sensors will collect time-series soil data, and plant health will be monitored using an unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) with a multispectral camera capable of capturing invisible wavelengths to calculate vegetation indices for plant health. The TSU research team will visit the farms biweekly to collect UAS multispectral imagery and conduct inspections for diseases, pests, and physiological stress symptoms. A communication system will be implemented to enable farmers and researchers to send and receive ground pictures and notes. Additionally, a web-based data portal will be developed to upload UAS images, field data, and ground pictures for all participants. The resulting UAS-based plant health map will be visualized and shared with participants, and a system for sharing ground pictures and notes via smartphone/tablet will be implemented. Physiological data, such as leafphotosynthetic activities, water potential, etc, will be recorded periodically.During each harvest, tomatoes will be graded according to USDA standards:· Grade 1: Full-size tomatoes with perfect shape and color.· Grade 2: Misshapen tomatoes with defects in shape, color, or size.· Grade 3: Serious damage, not edible or marketable (e.g., diseased, cat-faced).The number and fresh weight of tomatoes in each grade will be recorded, and fruit firmness and Brix will be measured as quality indicators.Data from tomato yield and quality will be the primary factors used to evaluate the CrTPS. The effects of varieties, plastic mulch, and grafting on tomato yield and quality will be analyzed using appropriate statistical methods, including ANOVA. Data from the 'Spiio' sensors will be used to assess soil conditions, while images of plant growth together with the physiological datawill provide insights into plant health and disease issues. This information will be used to select the optimal CrTPS for large-scale deployment.In Objective 2, we will focus on utilizing the University of Tennessee-TSU Cooperative Extension network to conduct extension and outreach activities, ensuring that farmers are well-equipped to adopt the CrTPS system and benefit from its climate-adaptive strategies. The extension faculty will collaborate with county extension agents to develop the necessary extension materials.Workshops will be held in February and December 2025 to teach farmers and extension agents the key techniques and strategies of the CrTPS, including tomato grafting, selection of plastic mulch films, choosing tomato varieties, and the use of soil sensors. The demonstration plots on the three participating farms will be used to showcase the CrTPS in real-world conditions. "Farm days" will be hosted from July to September 2025, where other tomato growers and farmers will be invited to visit the plots and observe the system in action. A CrTPS toolkit will be developed and posted on the TSU extension homepage (https://www.tnstate.edu/extension/). It will be promoted via social media to reach a wider audience. The toolkit will include step-by-step instructions for deploying the CrTPS, as well as contact information for technical inquiries.Through these extension and outreach activities, our goal is to engage five or more farms in each county and train 20 extension specialists. Together, they will establish a strong foundation for adopting the Climate-Resilient Tomato Production System (CrTPS) and tackling the challenges posed by rising temperatures.