Irrigation Guide Lines by Naan Dan Jain Irrigation for Table Tomato in Open Fields

From planting to establishment, apply light irrigation of 5-10 m3/day/ha For sandy soil, irrigate daily.
For medium to heavy soil, irrigate every 2-3 days. After establishment, apply irrigation in wider intervals of 3-5 days, depending on the soil type.
In winter, irrigate every 5-7 days. Irrigation quantity will be calculated according to ET and tensiometers (tensiometer station of 30 & 60 cm depth). Total amount of water per crop cycle: 630-750 mm

Planting
Open fields – Double row on 1.5-2.0 m bed, with 30-50 cm between rows 25,000-30,000 plants/ha (5-6 plants /meter/ bed)

Irrigation Management
Using a tensiometer is recommended in order to better gauge the moisture availability at each profile depth and according to the plant’s needs. This helps in deciding when to irrigate and how much (quantity) to irrigate.
Each station includes 2 units at a depth of 30 and 60 cm, or 20 and 40 cm, in light soil.
Water Stress and Soluble Solids Control (brix)
Deficit irrigation should be applied to put the tomato plant in a state of moderate controlled stress.
This technique enables the grower to get higher soluble solids at minimal yield reduction.The ideal time to apply deficit irrigation is when the first fruits show color.

SDI
The SDI (Sub-surface Drip System) is a recommended solution for processing tomato crops.
The heavy machinery used during harvesting can damage the drip line. This problem can be overcome with shallow installation, around 10 cm, which protects the drip lateral. After harvesting, the drip laterals are extracted and can be reused. The selection of suitable wall thickness should be considered for this operation.
Deep installation (30-40 cm) is practical for permanent installation and cultivation methods follow the same track. The application of fertilizer directly to the root system at 30-40 cm contributes to improved efficiency and higher yields. During the germination stage, wetting the seeds or young plants sufficiently can prove challenging when the dripline installation is deep. An efficient solution to this problem is using a portable sprinkler system.
AmnonDrip AS (Anti-Siphon) and TopDrip AS are most suitable for SDI application. Anti-siphon is a built-in characteristic of the dripper. It prevents sand from being sucked into the dripper during drainage.

Source: http://naandanjain.com/