What cause sticky skins to form on tomatoes?


Heat and deficit of water.It is a defence against evaporation.


The tomato will grow a sticky skin to avoid sunscald. The thicker skin is a reaction to too much sunlight. Tomatoes get moody when the outside warmth gets over 85F over several days. Any hotter and they often drop their blossoms and wilt. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...
Answers:    Sacramento County UC master gardener Bill Pierce says that several factors contribute to tough skins on tomatoes: Some variety just naturally enjoy tough skins and were developed this way so they would ship short damage.
Cool weather that lengthens the ripening interval is another factor. Too much or too little water is a third potential cause, and ... variation in the fertility and mineral content of the soil has an effect.
http://www.sacbee.com/165/story/923515.h...

Dry or outstandingly hot summers tend to produce thick skinned tomatoes. Lack of humidity in the atmosphere will cause the tomatoes to toughen the skins to help prevent marine loss through the fruit. Inconsistent moisture levels in the soil or excessively glorious air temperatures contribute to the problem as the plants try to conserve moisture.
http://www.weekendgardener.net/vegetable...
http://forums.organicgardening.com/eve/f...