| TOMATO DESCRIPTION
There are many varieties of tomatoes base on uses such as
processing and table types; and based on the growth habbits
there are determinate or bush type and indeterminate types.
In Bhutan, tomato is called Lambenda (in Dzongkha). This crop
is one of the most important vegetables in the country with
local markets selling assorted colors and sizes, mainly in
fresh form.
Tomato is practically grown in almost all the Dzongkhags
mainly for home consumption or for local retail. Paro, Thimphu
Punakha and Wangdue and Dzongkhags are the top tomato producers
in 2005.
A Bhutanese grower obtains an average yield of 10-15 MT/acre
per season. There is mainly two growing season in Bhutan,
summer production in higher elevation and winter production
southern foot hills and tomatoes are usually grown in less
than a acre of area. Average production cost is Nu 5.2 per
kg and a kilo of fresh tomatoes fetches Nu 10-30 in the local
markets depending on the marketing season.
Tomatoes are important ingredients for almost all delicacies
and cookings. It is also consumed fresh as salad.
In 2004, Bhutan produced 39.8 MT of fresh tomatoes and exported
as fresh as well as in process form such as sauce and ketcup
to other countries.
1. PRE-PRODUCTION STAGE
A. IDEAL GROWING CONDITIONS
Criteria Description
1. Elevation • Between 300m such as in southern Dzongkhags
to above 2200masl like Paro and Thimphu Dzongkhags.
• Growing seasons:
a) Below 1,000 m, from October to middle of April. Start nursery
sowing from first week of October to mid December.
b) At 1,000-1,500 m, from March to October. Start nursery
sowing from first week of March to end of May.
c) Above 1500masl, from April to September.
2. Soil pH • Soil pH range is 6.0 to 7.0.
• Apply dolomite powder at 1.5 t/acre if the soil pH
is below 5.
3. Soil texture • Grow ideally in loam and sandy loam
soils.
4. Temperature • Grows well when the day temperature
is between 130C-350C
B. CHOICE OF VARIETY
The choice of variety depends on market requirement such
as for fresh or table purposes. The recommended varieties
are given below:
Variety Name Altitude
(m) Recom-mended Dzongkhags Days to Maturity Pest/ Disease
Reaction Potential Yield
(t/acre)
Roma 300-2300 All Dzongkhags 80-100 20-30t/ha
Ratan 300-2300 All Dzongkhags 80-100 Tolerance to blight 20-30t/ha
CHT160 300-2300 All Dzongkhags 60-100 20-30t/ha
Characteristics of Main Tomato Varieties Grown in Bhutan
Roma
• Determinate or bush type
• Oval or Pear-shaped and red fruit
• Fruit length is 5.8cm, width is 4.3 cm,
and weight is ___ g
• Plant height is 85 cm
• Good for cooking and processing
• Can withstand long distance transport and have better
shelf-life.
Ratan
• Determinate variety.
• Deep red, round and large fruits
• Fruit length is 5.7 cm, width is 5.62 cm
and weight is ___ g
• Plant height is 81cm
• Ideal for salad and cooking
• Need staking and raw mulching
• Need plastic roofing if rainy/cloudy period
is prolonged during fruit maturity
CHT160
• Indeterminate variety.
• Deep red, round and medium size fruit
• Fruit length is 3.62 cm, width is 3.58 cm
and weight is ___ g
• Plant height is 138cm
• Ideal for salad and cooking
• Need staking and raw mulching
• Need plastic roofing if rainy/cloudy period
• is prolonged during fruit maturity
II. PRODUCTION STAGE
1. Nursery Preparation
• Prepare the nursery soil thoroughly two weeks before
sowing. Raise nursery beds to 15 cm high and 1 m wide.
• Before sowing, treat the seeds with fungicide like
Thiram or vitavax at 2 g/kg seed.
• The seed rate is 200g/acre of good quality seeds with
75% minimum germination.
• Sow seeds at 1.5 cm deep in rows at 10 cm apart.
• To produce good seedlings – particularly above
1,000 m for early planting – sow seeds in plastic tunnels.
Use semi-circular structure of bamboo sticks lay over the
nursery bed at 1 m apart. Lay the plastic sheet over the structure
and cover the edge of the plastic with soil. Keep the tunnel
open during sunny days. Irrigate daily using a sprinkler by
opening the plastic cover.
2. Field Preparation
• Plough and level the field thoroughly.
• Raise 1 m wide beds and 15-20 cm above the ground
and convenient length depending upon the field condition
• Tomato has a high nutrient requirement. Application
depends on soil fertility and other factors. It is emphasized
that adequate fertilizer requirement should be determine for
each plot with help of NSSC, Semthokha, MOA. In general, an
indicative fertilizer requirement on a per acre basis may
be applied as: 6-8 mt of (FYM) and N:P:K at the rate of 10:20:20kg/acre
as basal. Mix all the fertilizer thoroughly. Apply basally
in hills (spot application) about 250-300 g of FYM and 6 g
of fertilizer mixture. Mix with soil properly up to a depth
of 20 cm. Thirty days after transplanting, top dress the crop
with 10 kg additional N. Apply the nitrogen in rings around
the plant and cover with soil. In light soil top dressing
can be slit into two at 30 and 60days after transplanting.
3. Transplanting
• Place the seedlings in the baskets. Make sure not
to damage the roots or dropping all the soil from the roots.
• Transplant when the seedling are 12-15cm tall, normally
in about 30-50day after sowing depending on the elevation.
• Plant the seedlings at a spacing of 40cm plant to
plant within a row and 50 cm between rows or row to row or
a population of at least 39,000 plants per acre.
• Transplant the seedlings preferably in the evening
and irrigate immediately so as to reduce the transplanting
shock.
• .
• Indeterminate varieties require stacking and for this
use bamboo stake after flowering and tie the plants to it
loosely as it grows.
• Pruning or pinching of the side shoots and suckers
need to done regularly for indeterminate or stacking type
of tomatoes. Bush-type of tomatoes will only need fruit thinning
to get better size and quality fruits.
• For staking type of tomatoes, to achieve early and
quality fruit production and to avoid sunscald is to remove
all suckers on the lower 50cm of the stem, then let the plant
bush out with branches tied to a stake.
4. Weeding
• During the first few weeks after transplanting, weed
pressure is high and needs frequent weeding so as to keep
the area free of weed. The area should be kept free of weeds
throughout the growing season to avoid weekds competing with
the crop on water, nutrients, air and space or light. Weed
manually with hand or using garden hoe without damaging the
shallow tomato roots.
5. Irrigation
• Water the young plants at field capacity for few
weeks after transplanting to encourage good vegetative growth.
Irrigation amount and frequency can be reduced in 4-5 weeks
after transplanting to provide little water stress which will
enhance tomato flowering and production.
• After the fruit set, again maintaining uniform soil
moisture is important to avoid blossom-end-rot, fruit cracking
and quality fruit production
• Irrigation can be reduced slightly to the time of
harvest to get good flavour and less watery fruits.
6. Harvesting
• Harvest the fruits 80-90days days after transplanting
but it will largely depends on type of tomato, varieties and
distance from the market.
• Tomatoes are best when harvested at fully ripe stage
(when green fruit turns normal varietal colour) However, for
long distance market, tomatoes are best harvested at matured
and half-ripe fruits stage.
• Pick tomatoes by twisting rather than pulling the
fruits and pack the fruits in crates lined with straw or similar
materials placed at the bottom, sides, and at the top.
References:
1. Additional New Horticulture Technology (2005), RNRRC-Bajo,
CORRB, MOA.
2. Package of Practices for Vegetable Production (2001), Horticulture
Section, RNRRC-Bajo, DRDS, Ministry of Agriculture.
3. Guidelines for tomato cultivation (1994), IHDP, Ministry
of Agriculture.
4. RNR Technical recommendation (2003), RNRRC-Khangma, DRDS,
Ministry of Agriculture.
5. Facts and Figures of RNR Sector 2003. PPD, Ministry of
Agriculture.
6. RNR Statistics (2004), DOA, MOA.
7. Annual report 1995-1996, RNRRC-Bajo, MOA
8. G. Tshering (2006), Personal communication.
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