Surendra Lal Shrestha
* National Horticulture Research Center, Khumaltar, Lalitpur
* Corresponding author’s E-mail: shsurendra@hotmail.com
* ORCID ID:0000-0003-1109-6514
Abstract
Tomato seedlings of nine tomato cultivars with Pusa Ruby and Srijana as check were transplanted on March second week, 2021 at Khumaltar with the spacing of 70X60 cm in three replications and fertilized with 150:120:100 NPK kg + 20-ton FYM per hectare. The main objective of this study was to evaluate and select high yielding, good keeping quality with preferred characters under open field and plastic tunnel conditions for Bagmati province's mid-hills. Observation was recorded on vegetative, insect pest and disease, reproductive characters, yield parameter and keeping quality. Tomato crops under plastic tunnel were vigorous, taller, less infected with insect pest and disease, earlier; flowering and fruit set, higher number of fruits and flowers per cluster, fruits yield in number and weight, and longer period keeping quality as compared to open field condition. Among the tested cultivars 13X7 showed superior performance that was late blight resistant (2.3), early days to flowering (26), higher number of fruits per plant (6.3), superior yield (99.95 t/ha) and 5171 gm per plant and medium in fruit size. It had good keeping quality; least shrinkage (1.8), significantly higher marketable fruit weight remain percentage (78.3), less rotten percent (18.8) and physiological weight loss percent (18.8) at 30 days after room storage (DARS). The next superior cultivar was Srijana which had late blight (3.5), days to flowering (27), higher number of fruits per cluster (6.5), superior yield (100 t/ha) and 5624 gm per plant, medium fruit size, and superior keeping quality; less shrinkage (2.3), higher marketable fruit weight remain percent (60.2) and less rotten percent (7.8) at 30 DARS. These two cultivars are recommended for cultivation in mid-hills of Bagmati Pradesh. If only keeping quality is concerned; 3961D was the best cultivar which had no any rotten, significantly least shrinkage and weight loss even after 30 DARS.
Keywords: Cultivar, disease, high yielding, keeping quality, open pollinated