Topic:

PERFORMANCEOFTOMATOCULTIVARSASINFLUENCED
BYNUMBEROFSIDEDRESSINGSINRAINYSEASON
UNDERPLASTICROOFINGCONDITION
Principle investigator:
Krishna Prashad Tiwari
R 2010-HRT- 02 M

Major Advisor : Prof. M. D. Sharma, Ph. D.

Minor Advisor: Assoc. Prof. A. Srivastava, Ph.
Minor Advisor: Prof. G. B. K. C., Ph. D.
Page 1

Introduction
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum): one of major
commercial vegetable crops, widely grown (plains and
hills).
Second most important vegetable crop in the world

after potato.
Used as raw vegetable, added to other food items or
as processed products: paste, whole peeled, diced,
juice, sauces and soups in almost every home.
Large quantity of this vegetable is imported from India
(Prasad, 2000).
It is a valuable source of health promoting
compounds ; antioxidant lycopene helps reduce the
incidence of many types of cancer (Rao and Agarwal,
2000; Pohar et al., 2003).
Page 2

Area under tomato in Nepal: 16,416 ha, Production: 2,

82, 481 tons, productivity: 17 t/ha (ABPSD, 2012).
In the plains, tomato can be produced successfully as
winter to spring season crop and as off-season in two
growing seasons, spring (slightly later) and rainy to
autumn (slightly earlier).
The gradual and ever increasing year round demand of
tomato for fresh consumption and processing resulting
from
increasing
urbanization,
hotels,
tourism,
nutritional awareness of the people, etc. is making
avenue to the off-season production (Bhurtyal, 2000).
Tomato production inside plastic house during rainy
season is a new and modest technology to the farmers
in Nepal but is still a very difficult job (Pandey et al.,
2006).

Tomato possesses relatively:

- Higher return and year round demand
- Peak demand especially in the autumn season.
In fact, it is due to the co-effect of decreased
supply and increased consumption.
Some progressive farmers in mid and far western plains
have been involved in autumn season tomato
production since many years back.
And, adoption of this tech. has greatly increased
employment opportunities. Farmers get high prices
during Dashain, Deepawali, and Chhath festival during
October at first harvest.

There is a high potential of growing tomato in off

season to meet the domestic demand all over Nepal.
Production in summer and rainy season has extremely
been limited by high temp0C and adverse moisture
condition (flooding).
Needs protection from intense rainfall through plastic
roofing and an undercover by cotton net.

Though the technology is highly successful, seed

availability and varietal option has became major
constraints.
Rainy season tomato is a major source of income to
the growers in the very limited areas in plains.

However, plastic house technology has been found

highly successful, still the production during rainy
season in open field condition is still very difficult
job (Pandey et al., 2006)
The production is extremely limited by high
temperature and low moisture in early summer
and high temperature along with high moisture in
rainy season(Kuo et al., 1979).
At this time, bacterial wilt and high temperature
affect the plant drastically cutting down the yield
(Villareal, 1979).

Maximum day (>320C) and minimum night (<210C)

temperatures are known to limit fruit set due to an
impaired physiological process in flower and fruit.
(Bhattarai and Subedi 1996).
High temperature induces floral drop, low fruit set, poor
growth and development of fruit causing poor quality
and production.
Heat, blight and bacterial wilt susceptible varieties
cannot be cultivated during rainy season.
The general ambient temperatures during summer in
western Terai exceed this range and during monsoon
the temperature fluctuates much more with higher
moisture regimes (Bhurtyal, 2006).

It can be produced with the introduction of heat and rain

tolerant hybrids or OP varieties (Pandey, 2004).
Growth, flowering, fruit set, and fruit development can also
be enhanced through proper nutrition management.
For the highest production, it is critically necessary to identify
the best productive variety with the optimum dose and time
of fertilizer application (Maherunnessa and Zakir, 2011).
Farmers are facing many production problems related to varietal
selection especially, heat tolerant and knowhow of proper
dose and intensity of side dressing fertilizers for higher yield.

Also, technology has yet to be developed targeted during

summer, rainy and autumn condition.

Objectives
General objective: Evaluation of tomato cultivar
in response to fertilizer management for increased
yield and economic benefits from rainy season tomato
in terai condition.
Specific objectives:
To appraise the yield and yield attributing
characteristics of tomato cultivars under hot and humid
conditions.
To assess the optimum number of mix fertilizer side

dressing for rainy season tomato.

To assess the interaction between variety and number

of side dressing on growth and yield of tomato.

To document the farm get income by rainy season

Literature review
Scope and economics of off season tomato production
Heat tolerant varieties
Varietal difference on growth and yield of tomato
Roles and effect of major nutrients on growth and yield

of tomato
Nitrogen (N)
- Effect of nitrogen on growth parameters
- Effect of nitrogen on yield attributing characters
- Effect of nitrogen on yield
Phosphorus (P)
- Effect of Phosphorus on growth and yield

Literature review
Potassium (K)

- Effect of potassium on growth and yield

Application of NPK fertilizer in combination
Application of NPK fertilizer through side dressing
Weather extremity and fertilizer affects fruit growth and
development
Influence of temperature on vegetative growth
Temperature and flowering
Flower formation under high temperature
Temperature requirements for fruit set
Tomato variety evaluation and development in Nepal

Materials and methods

Research site: Tikapur municipality, Kailali
district

Materials and methods

Location (map showing research site)

Research field: (2829' 40'' north latitude and 81 02 58)

Vijayanagar, Tikapur, Kailali, Nepal.
Map showing research site

Materials and methods

Time of study: July 25 to November 20
Agro-meteorological features:

Maximum and minimum temp0C, RH, and

precipitation of nearest meteorological station was
taken from Central Department of Meteorology,
Babarmahal, Kathmandu

Figure 1. Weather condition during study period at Tikapur , Kailali from first
week of July to last week of November, 2011
160

Rainfall

Ave RH

Tmax

T min

37

130
120

100

110

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10

Temperatur
e

140

Average RH (%) and

Rainfall (mm)

150

40

34
31
28
25
22
19
16
13
10

Materials and methods

Experimental materials:

Tomato cultivars (op and F1 hybrids): heat tolerant.

Macro nutrients (Urea, DAP and MoP) and micronutrients: B and Ca were applied as recommended.
Apply 20 gm of mix fertilizer (5:10:5 gm
urea:DAP:MoP) per plant as basal dose and repeat
at least 3 times at 30, 50, 70, and 90 DAT (SSMP,
2007).
Roofing structure: using bamboo poles, plastic sheet
was used as glazing material, common mosquito
net (cotton, green color) as shading material.

Treatment details
Factor 1: Varieties (Surya 111, Dalila and NCL 1)
Factor 2: No. of side dressings ; - 1 to 4 times at 30,
50, 70, 90 DAT
Total no. of treatments: 12 Replicated thrice.
Total no. of experimental units: 36
Treatment Details:

1. Basal dose + 1 side dressing at 30 DAT

(303:133:222 kg NPK/ha)
2. Basal dose + 2 side dressings at 30 and 50 DAT
(455:200:333 kg NPK/ha)
3. Basal dose + 3 side dressings at 30, 50, and 70
DAT (607:266:444 kg NPK/ha)
4. Basal dose + 4 side dressings at 30, 50, 70, and
90 DAT (759:333:555 kg NPK/ha/ season)

Layout of experimental area:

Structure of plastic house:

Figure 2. Dimensions of poles in vertical view of plastic structure

Figure 3. Dimensions from the side view of plastic structure

Agronomic practices
PPM and essential macro, micro-nutrients:
Kisan M-45, Agromin, Cattle milk (3 ml/lit.), Ca, B
Seed sowing: 3 separate nurseries
Transplanting: seedlings of 3 wks age (4 true leaf

stage):
- transplanted over the pits sized 50 cm x 25 cm
- Spacing: 50 cm * 45 cm
Fertilizer doses:
Basal application: 5:10:5 gm of urea:DAP:MoP /
plant
Side dressings: 5:10:5 gm of urea:DAP:MoP per plant
Method: ring method at 30, 50, 70, and 90 DAT.

Agronomic practices
Irrigation: frequency and amount will depend on

moisture status of soil.

Watering will be done using rose can- nursery
stage
Buckets and jugs - transplanting stage
Between furrows by garden pipe later stages
Training and Pruning: Two canes system

- side shoots, suckers were removed, trellis system

of training was done erecting a pole in every 4
plant
- 3 cross wire were tied to support plants in
between

Result and discussion

1. Growth parameters:
Plant height
Stem diameter
Number of leaves per plant
2. Yield attributes:
Earliness: Days to 50% and 100% flowering
Truss characters (truss length, number of truss per
plant, number of truss, flowers, and fruits per truss
Number of flowers per plant
Number of fruits per plant
Fruit setting rate
Average fruit weight

Result and discussion

3. Yield:
Harvest/total and marketable yield (kg/plant and
t/ha)
4. Economic analysis of rainy season tomato
farming
- cost of cultivation, gross income, net income, B:
C ratio
5. Correlation and regression analysis
Relationship with yield : - plant height
number of leaves
Number of flowers per plant
Number of fruits per plant

Plant height
Table1.Effectofvarietyanddifferentnumberofsidedressingonplantheightatdifferent
timeintervalsinTikapur,Kailali(20011)
Treatments

30 DAT

50 DAT

Surya 111

76.201

116.4a

Dalila

72.784

NCL 1
LSD0.05

Plant height
70 DAT

90 DAT

110 DAT

135.8 a

147.5 a

153.3 a

111.5b

129.1 c

138.6 b

140.8 c

70.292

107.9c

131.1 b

139.6 b

146.2 b

NS

6.43

4.90

6.63

7.15

3.69
Number of side dressing (Fb)

2.19

1.67

2.36

2.44

Variety (Fa)

SEM

SD 1

71.78

111.61

121.3 b

125.1 c

128.6d

SD 2

73.10

112.00

135.5 a

139.7 b

140.8c

SD 3

74.77

111.67

135.3 a

151.0 a

152.09b

SD 4

72.72

112.44

135.8 a

151.8 a

164.8a

Mean

72.51

114.23

131.06

139.29

142.68

SEM

4.27

2.53

1.93

2.61

2.81

LSD0.05

NS

NS

5.66

7.65

8.26

CV%

17.53

9.79

8.39

11.52

13.76

Result and discussion

Plant height
Figure 3: effect of variety and number of side dressings on Plant height at 110 DAT
110 DAT

180

170

160

Plant height (cm)

150

140

130

120

110

100
Surya SD 1Surya SD 2Surya SD 3Surya SD 4Dalila SD 1Dalila SD 2Dalila SD 3Dalila SD 4 NCL SD 1 NCL SD 2 NCL SD 3 NCL SD 4

Treatment combinations

Ibeawuchi et al. (2008) found the distinct

plant heights in OP and hybrid varieties.

Bhurtyal (2000) found 81.96 cm height of

NCL 1 at spring summer season in inner Terai

condition.
Goslin and Trudel (1983) found 21 %

increase in plant height when root

temperature was increased from 12 0C to 13
0
C night air temperatures.
Rajgopal and Rao (1974) reported influence of

nitrogen and potassium on growth

parameters.
Phosphorus and potassium rates significantly

Number of leaves
Table2.Effectofvarietyandnumberofsidedressingsonnumberofleavesperplantat
different daysaftertransplantinginTikapur,Kailali(2011)
Treatments

Number of leaves per plant

50 DAT

70 DAT

90 DAT

110 DAT

2343a

25.91

31.01

32.96a

Dalila

19.92b

23.88

29.40

31.21b

NCL 1131

19.74b

24.42

29.11

31.06b

SEM

0.95

0.80

0.61

0.44

LSD0.05

2.79

NS

NS

1.27

SD 1

20.43

23.40

24.86d

25.71d

SD 2

21.67

25.30

27.98c

29.18c

SD 3

21.87

25.02

31.53b

32.91b

SD 4

20.13

25.20

35.00a

39.17a

Mean

21.02

24.73

29.84

31.74

SEM
CV%

1.09
15.68

0.92
11.25

0.70
9.08

0.51
8.84

LSD

NS

NS

2.06

1.47

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

Number of side dressing (Fb)

The difference in number of leaves per plant

was due to difference in genetic character

(Bose et al., 1993).
Varietal differences in number of leaves per

plant in tomato was reported by Shakya et al.

(1995), Shakya (1989), Shrestha (2006), and
Budathoki et al. (2005).

Findings of MCIntyre et al. (2000) and

Shrestha (2006) are in agreement with the

findings.

Table 3: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on earliness (days to 50%, 100%
flowering and first harvest)
Earliness (DAT)
Treatments

Flowering

Flowering

(50 percent)

(100 percent )

First harvesting

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

33.20 a

38.50 a

64.75a

Dalila

27.50 c

32.53 b

57.83b

NCL 1

32.50 b

38.72 a

64.72a

SEM

0.1335

0.1302

0.1343

LSD0.05

0.3916

0.3818

0.3938

SD 1

30.91

36.37

62.18

SD 2

31.11

36.73

62.55

SD 3

30.82

36.37

62.33

SD 4

31.43

36.83

62.65

0.247

0.203

0.249

LSD0.05

NS

NS

NS

CV%

12.36

Number of side dressing (Fb)

SEM

9.93

8.58

Figure 4: Earliness (days to first harvest after transplanting) in tomato varieties in

Tikapur, Kailali (2011)

Earliness (first harvest)

NCL 1

Dalila

Surya 111

54

56

58

60

Days after transplanting (DAT)

62

64

66

Bhurtyal (2000) and Shakya et al. (1995)

reported significant differences in days to 50%

flowering among different varieties.
Shakya et al. (1995) reported first flowering in

NCL 1 at 60 DAS in winter, while Bhurtyal

(2000) found 46.5 DAS in summer
Chapagain et al. (2011) reported 31 DAT for

first flowering in Dalila in mid hill condition.

NSB (2010) and KSC (1011) reported 55-60

and 60-70 DAT for first harvest in Dalila, Surya

111, and NCL 1.

Table 3: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on harvest and crop duration of
tomato in Tikapur, Kailali (2011)
Harvest duration
Treatments

Crop duration
(DAT)

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

48.05a

112.8a

Dalila

39.91c

97.74c

NCL 1

42.48b

107.2b

SEM

0.85

1.75

LSD0.05

1.57

5.15

SD 1

92.88d

30.7d

SD 2

103.0c

40.45c

SD 3

110.3b

47.97b

SD 4

117.5a

54.85a

Number of side dressing (Fb)

Mean

105.92

43.49

SEM

1.52

1.52

LSD0.05

4.46

3.40

CV%

14.73

8.97

Table 4: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on number of flowers per plant of
tomato in Tikapur, Kailali (2011)
Treatments

Number of flowers per plant

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

156.4a

Dalila

129.1b

NCL 1131

138.2b

SEM

4.68

LSD0.05

13.72

Number of side dressings (Fb)

SD 1

111.3c

SD 2

126.3c

SD 3

152.0b

SD 4

175.3a

SEM

5.40

LSD0.05

15.84

CV%

11.47

Shakya (1989), Shrestha (2006), Budathoki

et al. (2005), and Adhikari et al. (2000),

Bhurtyal (2000) and Aldana (2005) found

difference in number of flowers per plant that

ranged from 80 to 140 in a single plant.
The present results on effect of number of

side dressings on total number of flowers per

plant are in agreement with the findings of
Hamsaveni et al. (2003) and Patil et al.
(2004).

Table 5: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on number of fruits per plant of
tomato in Tikapur, Kailali (2011)
Treatments

Number of fruits per plant

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

76.5a

Dalila

57.2b

NCL 1131

58.5b

SEM

1.59

LSD0.05

4.66

Number of side dressings (Fb)

SD 1

44.0d

SD 2

54.0c

SD 3

70.3b

SD 4

87.9a

SEM

1.84

LSD0.05

5.39

CV%

9.6

Bhurtyal
(2000)
and
Shrestha
(2006),
Budathoki et al. (2005), and Adhikari et al.
(2000) found significant differences in number of
fruits within cultivars of tomato in spring-summer
season.
Tomato plant need optimum amount of N P
fertilizers to produce higher number of fruits
(Balemi, 2008).

Table 6: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on fruit setting rate of tomato in
Tikapur, Kailali (2011)
Treatments
Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

Fruit setting rate (percent)

48.1a

Dalila

43.9ab

NCL 1131

42.1b

SEM

1.49

LSD0.05

4.36

Number of side dressings (Fb)

SD 1

39.7c

SD 2

42.8bc

SD 3

46.0ab

SD 4
SEM

50.3a
1.72

LSD0.05

5.04

CV%

11.55

Shakya (1989), Shrestha (2006), Budathoki et

al. (2005), and Adhikari et al. (2000) reported

varietal differences in fruit set percent.
Bhurtyal (2000) reported 62.1 percent fruit set in
NCL 1 during summer at open field condition in
Rampur, Chitwan.
Kuo et al. (1978) and Went (1944) reported
cultivar differences in the ability to set fruit under
high temperature conditions. Day and night
temperatures above 32 0C and 21 0C resp. limited
fruit set (Bhattarai and Subedi, 1996).
Reports of Shrestha (2006), Liptay and

Tiessen (1970) and MCIntyre et al. (2000)

found progress in fruit set percent with increased

Table 7: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on fruit weight of tomato in Tikapur,
Kailali (2011)

Treatments

Fruit weight (gm)

Treatments

Fruit weight (gm)

Number of side dressing (Fb)

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

37.7b

SD 1

34.6d

Dalila

45.5a

SD 2

36.8c

NCL 1131

32.4c

SD 3

39.9b

SD 4

42.68a

LSD0.05

1.44

LSD0.05

1.67

SEM

0.49

SEM

0.57

CV%

8.42

The average fruit weight of tomato was influenced

by the amount of N and P fertilizers rates
(Sharma et al., 1999).
Thus, tomato plant should receive optimum amount
of N P fertilizers to produce higher fruit weight and
yield (Balemi, 2008).

Table 8: Effect of variety and number of side dressings on yield of tomato in Tikapur, Kailali
(2011)
Treatments

Harvest yield
kg/plant
t/ha

Marketable yield
t/ha
kg/plant

Variety (Fa)
Surya 111

2.98a

110.30a

2.83a

104.80a

Dalila

2.64b

97.86b

2.51b

92.97b

NCL 1

1.92c

70.99c

1.82c

67.44c

LSD0.05

0.23

6.06

0.21

7.61

SEM
0.74
Number of side dressing (Fb)

2.73

0.07

2.59

SD 1

1.52d

56.24d

1.44

53.42d

SD 2

1.98c

73.49c

1.89

69.81c

SD 3

2.80b

103.60b

2.66

98.46b

SD 4
SEM
LSD0.05
CV%

3.75a

138.90a

0.85
0.25
10.17

3.16
9.25
10.17

3.56
0.08
0.24
10.17

131.9a
3.00
8.79
10.17

SSMP (2007) reported yield up to 7 to 8 kg/plant

from plastic house farming in rainy season using
heat, blight and bacterial wilt tolerant hybrids and
supplied with at least three times side dressing
(5:10:5 gm Urea: DAP: MoP plant-1).

Shakya et al. (1985) reported 1.785 kg/plant

in NCL in NCL 1.
Mishra (2011) reported that tomato yield in
plastic house ranged from 4 to 10 ton/ropani
(i.e. 80 200 t/ha) per season within 150 days
during June to December in Nepalese midhills.

Fig. 5: Total cost and net benefit of rainy season tomato production in
Tikapur, Kailali (2011)

SSMP (2007) reported NRs. 15,000.00 to NRs.

21,000.00 per season for total cultivation cost
with similar sized plastic house. SARPOD (2012)
reported NRs. 35,000 in first year and NRs. 12000
from second year as cost of cultivation.
Net benefit per season per plastic house farming of
tomato:
NRs. 40,000 50,000 (SSMP, 2007)
NRs. 45,000 70,000 (SARPOD, 2012)
NRs. 8,00,000.00 to NRs.24,00,000.00 gross

return per hectare from plastic house

cultivation of rainy to winter season tomato
(Mishra, 2011)

Figure 7: Relationship between number of flowers and yield

Yield t/ha

Linear (Yield t/ha)

250
200
150

f(x) = 1.74x - 18.63

R = 0.87

Yield (t / ha)
100
50
0
30

40

50

60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130

Number of flowers per plant

Higher the number of flowers more fruits would be there as a result the fruit
yield is increased (Shrestha, 2006; Bhurtyal, 2000).

Figure 8: Relationship between fruit set percent and yield

Yield t/ha

Linear (Yield t/ha)

250
200
Yield150
(t / ha)
100

f(x) = 4.66x - 115.05

R = 0.57

50
0
30

40

50

60

70

Fruit setting rate

Higher the percent of fruit set higher will be the number of fruit per truss and
as a result, the total fruit yield is increased.
Pandey et al. (2006) reported fruit set percent as an important parameter to
be considered for selecting heat tolerant tomato varieties especially for offseason production in Nepal.

Conclusion
Surya 111 had more number of trusses, flowers, fruits

per plant along with the taller plants and more number
of leaves, highest yield was obtained Stem diameter
Dalila was found one week earlier than the other

varieties
Surya 111 had sufficiently longer harvesting period

contributing greatly to the higher yields.

Four times side dressing in all varieties had the

highest yield and weight of the fruits. Highest yield
was obtained when four times side dressing was
applied in Surya (5.1 kg/plant i.e. 182.7 t/ha).
the lowest yield was found in NCL 1 with single side

dressing (1.92 kg/plant i.e. 70.99 t/ha).

Conclusion
Surya 111 with four times side dressing had:
highest total cost of production: NRs.18,123 plastic
roofing-1 (NRs.18,48,525.0 ha-1)
highest gross income: NRs. 69,783.00 plastic roofing -1
(NRs. 71,17,887 ha-1)
Highest net income: NRs. 51,660.00 plastic roofing -1
(NRs. 52,69, 362.00 ha-1)
Highest yield: 5.1 kg plant-1 i.e. 182.7 t ha-1
the lowest yield was found in NCL 1 with single side

dressing (1.92 kg/plant i.e. 70.99 t/ha).

If in case of only two times side dressings:
incomes from Dalila were better than in other varieties.
Side dressing at flowering and fruit development stage

better increased yield than at other stages of growth

Suggestions
Growing selected heat tolerant varieties of tomato in

plain areas of Nepal during rainy season (July to

November) is remunerative enterprise.
However, further study would be necessary in order to

confirm the results before recommending the technology.

Acknowledgement
Major Advisor: Prof. Dr. M. D Sharma
Minor Advisors: Dr. A. K. Srivastav, Prof. Dr. G. B. K.C.
Good Neighbor: Infrastructure, research material support
NARDF: Research grants

Glimpses during field work

Seedling stage (July 22, 2011)

Preparing plastic roofing structure (June, 2011)

Surya 111
at fruiting
stage

Dalila at fruiting stage

NCL 1
at fruiting
stage

THANK
YOU!

Your suggestions are highly

appreciated!!!