-Oyo State.

You love tomatoes, but do you know how the fruits form?
It all starts with flowering. Tomato plants produce self-pollinating flowers, meaning they don’t always need bees or wind to transfer pollen. Once pollination happens, fertilization occurs, and the ovary begins to develop into a fruit.

This process is driven by plant hormones like auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins which control fruit formation, growth, and nutrient supply. The fruit goes through three main stages: cell division, cell expansion, and ripening. At the final stage, ethylene triggers the fruit’s color change and softening, making it ready for harvest.

However, fruiting isn’t automatic. Factors like temperature, light, water, and soil nutrients all play a role. Too much heat can stop fruit from forming, while a lack of calcium causes blossom-end rot. Proper care, balanced fertilization, and good irrigation are key to producing healthy, juicy tomatoes.

So, next time you bite into a ripe tomato, remember it’s not just nature, it’s science and good farming at work.