- Botanical Name & Family: Solanum lycopersicum, Solanaceae (nightshade family) .
- Plant Description: Vines up to 3 meters tall (bush varieties shorter). Tender perennials, usually grown as annuals. Pubescent stems/leaves. Leaves are odd pinnate. Bisexual, self-fertilizing yellow flowers. Fruit is a berry with locules and seeds.
- Cultivation Tips: Tender warm-season crop, frost-sensitive. Requires approx. 75 days from transplanting to harvest. Ideal temperatures 21-29 °C (day), 18-21 °C (night). Thrives in deep, well-drained sandy loam/loamy soils (pH 6.2-6.8). Requires proper tillage and raised beds. Consistent moisture is crucial. Often picked unripe and ripened with ethylene gas.
- Ayurvedic Description: Technically a fruit, culinary vegetable. Sour taste, generally heating effect. Stimulates appetite and digestive fire (Agni). Aggravating for Pitta and Kapha, pacifies Vata. Excessive sourness can cause burning, thirst, skin issues. Best eaten cooked (reduces tomatine/lectins), with spices like cumin/coriander/turmeric, or cooling agents like coconut milk. Riper fruits are less Pitta-aggravating.
Nutritional profile of seasonal vegetable (per 100g raw edible portion):
| Vegetable | Botanical Name | Calories (kcal) | Carbohydrates (g) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Fiber (g) | Key Vitamins | Key Minerals |
| Tomato | Solanum lycopersicum | 18 / 22 | 3.9 / 5 | 0.9 / 1 | 0.2 / 0 | 1.2 / 2 | C (14 mg), K (7.9 µg), A (42 µg RAE) | K (237 mg), P, Mg, Mn, Ca, Fe, Na, Zn |