59 Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 93 (5): 523–528, May 2023/Article https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v93i5.102449 Economic feasibility of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production under protected and unprotected environment ATISH SAGAR 1 * and P K SINGH 1 G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand 263 145, India Received: 15 July 2020; Accepted: 19 April 2023 ABSTRACT Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a high-value crop that is in high demand globally. The present study was carried out at G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand during 2016–18 with the objective to explore the economic feasibility of tomato production under controlled and uncontrolled environments. The present study examines the costs and returns associated with the production of tomatoes in greenhouses and open felds, including the initial investment, operational costs, and revenue generated. The study found that greenhouse tomato production was more expensive, with a higher initial investment and operational costs, but generated higher yields and returns per unit area. On the other hand, open-feld tomato production had lower initial investment and operational costs but had lower yields and returns per unit area. Overall, tomato production can be economically feasible under both controlled and uncontrolled environments, but the decision to use either method should be based on the specifc conditions of each farm and the market demand for the product. Keywords: Open environment, Polyhouse, Sensitive analysis, Tomato crop 1 College of Technology, G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India. *Corresponding author email: atishicky.sagar@gmail.com Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a major vegetable crop that has achieved tremendous popularity in the polyhouse over the last century (Boulard 2017). Tomatoes, besides being tasty, are useful for maintaining good health due to ample source of vitamin A and C. Cooked tomatoes and its products are the best source of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant and helps in preventing the development of cancer. Hence, the crop is gaining importance in developing and developed countries. Efforts are being made to develop the quantity and quality of produce by adapting controlled environment, as the yield and quality are poor in open climate due to low winter temperatures and frost attack. Prevailing low temperature and frost injury during winter season are limiting factor for successful cultivation of tomato under the northern, north-eastern and North East Himalayan (NEH) agro-climatic regions. It is diffcult to grow this vegetable under open conditions during November– February because of adverse effects of low temperature on overall morphological growth and fruit setting (Allen et al. 2007). Tomatoes require a high water potential for optimal vegetative and reproductive development. Not only do microclimate parameters affect the crop water requirement, but also it depends very much upon crop variety, season and the method of tomato cultivation. Polyhouse cultivation using micro-irrigation is a steadily growing agricultural sector worldwide (Mahajan et al. 2006, Lohano and Mari 2015, Malhotra 2017). The utilization of polyhouses, mainly for cultivation of vegetables and ornamental, is undergoing transformation for modernization that allows yield improvement (Thompson et al. 2007). Polyhouses may range from low cost such as plastic polyhouses to more sophisticated polyhouses, for example, the glass and controlled polyhouses (Tiwari 2003). This type of modern agriculture has many advantages especially for reducing the climatic hazard. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and farmers must choose the best method depending on various factors such as climate, location, cost, and market demand. In this article, we will explore the production of tomatoes under both greenhouse and open environment conditions, highlighting their benefts. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was carried out at the research farm of G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar (29.0210°N, 79.4897° E and 243.83 m amsl), Uttarakhand during 2016–18 with the objective to explore the economic feasibility of tomato production under controlled and uncontrolled environments in a single-span polyhouse. The study area comes under climatic zone of western Himalayan region and is located in the Shivalik