IPM for Tomatoes. Big Solutions for Small Holder Farmers.

Transcription

1 IPM for Tomatoes Big Solutions for Small Holder Farmers Realipm

2 Big solutions For small holder farmers Real IPM has also produced a mixture of other beneficial microbes to help combat pests and diseases and act as a plant stimulant in smallholder crops MAZAO MIX Mazao Mix contains: Trichoderma asperellum (good fungus for root knot nematode, soil and foliar diseases and bio-fertiliser) Bacillus subtilis (good bacteria for soil and foliar diseases and bio-fertiliser) Metarhizium anisopliae (good fungus for insect pests) INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) IPM uses several different methods to reduce the level of pests and diseases and allow beneficial insects to come into the crop to help kill the pests. Cultural, Physical, Biological Compatible chemical pesticides. DON T KILL FRUIT FLY PARASITOIDS WITH HARMFUL CHEMICALS Avoid using chemical pesticides without consulting your Real PM advisor first. For information on which chemicals are safer for beneficial insects: Download the: Fungicide Compatibility Charts and the Insecticide Compatibility Charts FACEBOOK Like us on Facebook and share your questions, enquiries and answers with Real IPM and other farmers. Like us Real IPM Follow 1.

3 INTRODUCTION Garden tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most rewarding cash crops if one can grow all year round under irrigation. Tomatoes have a wide range of uses including salads, processing and as a cooking ingredient in many foods. Market potential exists both locally and regionally (export). Tomatoes grow best in well drained soils that are well supplied with organic matter in open field or greenhouse. Plants grow in a wide temperature range of 15 C 35 C with optimal temperatures of between 23 C 27 C. It generally prefers warm areas with full sunlight. VARIETIES AND MARKETS Variety selection There are many tomato varieties grown for fresh market and processing. When selecting a variety, choose one that will meet your needs e.g. yield, market acceptance and pests and disease resistance and are suited to your climate. No single variety will combine all the best features. Variety Characteristics Tylka Kelele Is an indeterminate variety. First bloom appears in days and matures in 75 days after transplanting. Harvesting period is between 4 6 months. Is firm and has a shelf life of over 21 days when harvested mature green. Larger fruit size ( gms). Yield is tonnes per acre. Grown both out door and in green house. Is resistant to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, grey leaf spot, tomato mosaic virus Require staking. Is indeterminate variety Suitable for drier and more humid areas or periods. Matures in 75 days after transplanting. Harvesting period is about 10 weeks. Has a shelf life of over 21 days if harvested mature green. Can yield tonnes per acre. Grown both indoors and out door. Require staking. production period Resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus and tomato mosaic virus. 2.

4 Kentom Variety Characteristics In determinate variety fruits do not mature all at once but at varied times over the production period Ideal for coastal areas i.e. warm climate. Matures in days after transplanting. Yield up to 38 tonnes per acre. Spacing is 60 x 45 cm. Prostar Is indeterminate. Grown in both open field and green house. Matures in about days after transplanting. Yield up to 180 tonnes under good agronomic practices. Tolerant to tomato leaf curl virus. Spacing is 60 x 45 cm. Require staking New fortune Is determinate variety. Does well in coastal regions. Good taste for stews and kachumbari Matures in 80 days after transplanting. Yield up to 32 tonnes under good agronomic practices. Spacing 60 x 60 cm. Libra Riogrande Cal J Is a semi-determinate (SD) variety-sd grow larger than determinate but not as rampant as indeterminate. Grown both open field and green house. Matures in days after transplanting. Yield up to 97 tonnes per acre under good agronomic practices. Spacing is 60 x 60 cm. Staking is required for good quality. Tolerant to leaf curl virus. Is determinate variety fruits occur at the same time. Harvest period is short. Grown in open fields. Matures in days after transplanting. Yield is up to 18 tonnes per acre under good agronomic practices. Spacing is 60 x 60 cm. Does not require staking. Determinate variety. Grown in open field. Matures in days after transplanting. Yield is tonnes under good agronomic practices. Spacing is 60 x 60 cm. Requires no staking. 3.

5 M 82 Variety Characteristics Determinate variety. Grown in open field. Maturity is days. Yield under good agronomic practices is 8 10 tonnes per acre. Spacing is 60 x 60 cm. Require no staking. Joy F1 Determinate variety. Matures in 75 days after transplanting. Yield up to 32 tonnes per acre under good agronomic practices. Spacing is 60 x 60 cm. Require no staking. Other varieties include: 1. Caltana F1 2. Money Maker 3. Roma 4. Kenya Beauty Soil and Site Management Tomatoes are very sensitive to water logging and soil borne diseases and pests. It is therefore necessary to check the growing site, sample soil and do analysis for the following: Soil ph. Ideal ph for tomato growing is 6-7. Soil type. Drainage. Available nutrients. Presence or absence of soil borne pests and diseases. Land preparation and planting Only certified seed should be used, seeds should ideally be planted in a nursery and transplanted thereafter. When preparing nursery, the following should be observed: Seeding trays which can be filled with an appropriate nursery media (see GAP manual) If not planted in plastic seeding trays, the nursery site should be well drained. Site protected from direct sunlight. Raise beds to a height of cm, raised beds are necessary to avoid problem of water logging in heavy soils. Use a seed rate of seeds per m 2 Thin seedlings when the first true leaves appear. Seedlings are ready for transplanting in the fourth week. Harden seedlings for 6 9 days before transplanting by reducing water application and directly exposing them to sunlight. Water seedlings thoroughly about 12 hours to transplanting to facilitate uprooting. Field preparation is as follows:- Loosen the soil by breaking hard pans and compacted soils to a depth of cm If the topography is uneven (having ditches and water logged sites), level to improve drainage. Add lime if ph is low below ph 6 and Gypsum if ph is high, above ph 7. Reduce weeds by false sowing technique or stale bed technique. Dip seedlings in Trichoderma solution at transplanting to protect them from nematode attack and also enhance root hair growth. Transplant in the cool hours of the day preferably morning or late afternoon. Press the soil around the root after transplanting and moderately irrigate the field. Use starter solution (dilute solution of nitrogen, potash and phosphorous) at the time of transplanting. 4.

6 Nutrition and Water Management Tomato plants respond well to manure and fertilizer application. Exact amount of fertilizer and manure is dependent on soil analysis results. Nutritional deficiency leads to reduced yields and poor quality produce in terms of size, firmness and fruit colour. Nutrition and water go hand in hand, too much water may cause leaching and other root rot problems to tomato plants while too little may lead to nutrients not being taken up by the plants. It is therefore necessary to balance water and nutrients application for quality produce and good yields. Irrigation Irrigation for tomatoes must be regular especially during critical periods like flower setting and growth of fruits. Drought during fruiting period is most critical to final yield. Nutrition If soils are poor in organic matter, apply 10kg of well decomposed manure per square meter prior to transplanting to improve yields of tomatoes. Do not apply (spray) foliar feed during hot hours of the day. Do it in cool hours i.e. morning or late afternoon if rain is not imminent. Do not apply manure not fully decomposed in the field within 120 days to harvesting. Overview of nutrient deficiencies The following nutrient deficiencies would typically occur where a fertilizer regime is not based on soil nutrient analysis, soil PH is either too high or low and where there is a failure to properly care for the plants e.g. irregular watering. Nutrient deficiency Nitrogen Picture Symptoms Stunted growth. Short internodes. Rigid stem and petioles. Leaves pale green. Older leaves yellowing. Flower buds turn yellow. Thin and upright habit Small fruits Calcium Death of growing point. Die-back of main stem from tip, leaves and flowers and fruiting trusses Young leaves distorted with hooked tip. Phosphorous Trusses dying back Thin stems. Leaves turn purple on the lower side. Dark green leaves. Slow growth. Reduced flowering. Loss of lower leaves. Poor root growth 5.

7 Nutrient deficiency Potassium Picture Symptoms Brown marginal scorching of leaves. Leaves curl upward. Fruits have hard white core. Fruit fall off soon after ripening. Tendency to wilt readily. Few flower buds. Boron Uneven ripening. Fruits with corky areas. Fruit splitting. Yellowing and curling of leaves. Magnesium Interveinal chlorosis and necrosis of leaves. Green back of fruits Manganese Retarded growth. Failure to blossom. Iron Yellow or white areas on young leaves while older leaves remain green. Twig die-back. 6.

8 Common tomato nutritional problems Blossom End Rot Blossom-end rot is a physiological disorder. It is easily identified as a brown/black, leathery rot developing on or near the blossom -end of the fruit. Causes The condition is especially prevalent when rapidly growing, succulent plants are exposed suddenly to a period of drought which limits availability of calcium in fruits. It can an arise due to irregular watering; if fertilizer is added to dry soils around plant roots. Control Affected fruits cannot be saved but prevention from occurrence in subsequent fruits can be through: Keeping the soil moist throughout growing season. Mulching the soils to conserve soil moisture during dry seasons. Avoiding putting fertilizer in dry soils around the root zone. Applying foliar sprays containing calcium. Blossom End Rot on ripe tomato (Photo: Fruit Cracking Occurs as tomato fruits nears maturity (mature green of later stages) Causes Over fertilization Extreme fluctuations in temperature and soil moisture Not enough foliage to protect fruit from extreme sun light. Control A good fertilizer programme that will avoid overly succulent plants e.g. split application of fertilizer. Proper pruning and leaf removal. Excess removal will result in fruit being exposed too much to the sun. A good preventative spray programme to control foliar diseases and reduce the loss of leaves. Proper water management: do not over irrigate; water at fixed intervals and increase or decrease quantities as needed. Fruit cracking in tomatoes (Photo: Fruit cracking on ripe tomato (Photo: PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT Pests can cause total loss to a crop if not managed. It is important to scout and correctly identify pest/diseases early for corrective actions to be taken using approved pesticides and other control measures. Some of the most common pests/diseases of tomato include: red spider mite, tuta absoluta, white flies, aphids, thrips, cutworms, caterpillars, bollworms, root knot nematodes, fusarium wilt, bacterial wilt, early and late blight. 7.

9 Pest and diseases Features and damage Controls Red spider mites (Tetranychus evansi) Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) White flies Adult tomato red spider mites are small in size with eight legs. They can vary in colour from light orange to deep orange red or brown. Males are much smaller than females and are a more elongated and triangular in shape The tomato red spider mite can be found on both sides of leaves but it prefers the undersides near the leaf veins. Feeding causes leaves to become yellowish white and mottled. Produces webbing especially on the undersides of leaves. Has so many host plants and can be classified as a general pest. Adult is a nocturnal moth having greyish brown forewings. Mature larvae vary in colour depending on food source ( green, pink, brown or black) and can be recognised by white bands which are punctuated by breathing pores. It attacks different crops differently and thus earned itself many common names; tobacco bud worn, maize ear worm and tomato fruit worm. Usually occur in groups on the underside of leaves. The body is yellowish but the insects look white because of wax covers. Produce honey dew which black mold grows on. High populations may cause the leaves to yellow and shrivel. Good farm hygiene practice - Come clean, Go clean Ensure all visitors are instructed in and adhere to your hygiene requirements. Monitor your crop regularly Practice crop rotation. Spray with Achieve - Bio fungicide Spray with miticides when there is need. Remove weeds by weeding. Scout the crop regularly to detect pest presence early. Spray with approved Remove host plants. Encourage natural enemies. Spray with insecticides. Root knot nematodes Horn worms Usually cause distinctive swellings, called galls, on the roots of affected plants. Symptoms of root knot nematode infestation include wilting during the hottest part of the day, loss of vigour, yellowing leaves, and other symptoms similar to a lack of water or nutrients. Infested vegetable plants grow more slowly Plants produce fewer and smaller leaves and fruits, and ones heavily infested early in the season can die. Is one of the most destructive pests of tomato They consume entire leaves, small stems, and sometimes chew pieces from fruit. Have a protective colouring making it difficult to spot despite their large size. A larva is 3-4 inch long with several white diagonal strips with a red/black horn on the rear. Adults are heavy bodied moths gray or brown in colour with white zigzag lines on the rear wings. Adults can fly quickly. To scout for larvae, look for black droppings on the leaves & ground. Crop rotation. Drenching soils with Trichoderma. Planting resistant or tolerant varieties. Field sanitation. Furrows made by mounding up soil are ideal, especially if your soil is heavy clay. Keep your garden as weed free as possible, to discourage egg laying. Till the soil after harvest to destroy burrowing caterpillars and pupae. Handpicking and destroying larvae. Use of natural enemies such as lady beetles and green lacewings (predate on eggs) and braconid wasp which parasitize eggs. Spray with approved pesticides.

10 Pest and diseases Features and damage Controls Tuta Absoluta This is a new pest in Kenya but already wide spread. Adults are moths which look like diamond back moth. Larvae attacks leaves, stems and fruits. Larvae (caterpillar) burrows on the leaves making them appear burnt from a distant look. Fruits have tiny holes smaller than those caused by African bollworm. Crop rotation Use of mass trapping (pheromone traps and black sticky traps). Use of Metarhizium - drench to kill pupae in the soil and spray for ones pupating on the leaf. Bacillus thuringiensis spray to target first instar caterpillar. Spray with approved pesticides. Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas vesicatoria) Small brown black spots that are surrounded by a yellow hallo. Infects leaves, stems and flowers and defoliation is slowly. Plant clean seeds. Plant resistant varieties. Do regular fungicide sprays Early blight (Alternaria solani) Dark brown, irregular spots appearing on lowest oldest leaves. Infects leaves, stems and fruits. Space plants correctly. Weed the fields regularly. Practice crop rotation. Do regular fungicide sprays. Late blight (Phytophthora Infestans) Septoria leaf spot (Septoria Lycopersici) Earliest symptom is leaf stems bending down ward followed by greasy, gray-green areas on leaves. Underside of leaf may develop a whitish mold. Entire plant turns black and dies within days if no control measure is taken Gray brown areas on oldest lower leaves initially with gray centres and darker borders. Centres of discoloured areas may have many small black spores. Avoid overhead irrigation. Give plants correct spacing - no overcrowding. Maintain field hygiene. Plant clean seedlings Do proper scouting and know how to identify it. Do regular preventative sprays. Remove any volunteer tomato or potato plants. Practice effective crop rotation. Crop rotation. Weed the crop. Maintain correct plant spacing. Spray with approved pesticides. 9.

11 Pest and diseases Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum spp. Lycopersici) Features and damage The first symptom of Fusarium wilt is yellowing of the leaves often on only one side of the plant. A brown discoloration of the vascular tissue may be seen by cutting the stem lengthwise with a knife. Controls Plant resistant varieties. Control root knot nematodes. Crop rotation. Clean all equipment, tools and stakes used in an infested field before using in a non-infested field. Grow in soils of ph between 6.5 and 7.0 Early blight (Alternaria solani) Foliage wilts suddenly Foliage remains green Interior of main stem (when split) is dark and water-soaked. In late stages, the stem may become hollow. Crop rotation. Plant resistant varieties. Avoid damaging roots. Remove all affected plants. Practice hygiene. HARVESTING AND POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT. Tomatoes are delicate fruits and need to be sent to the market quickly. The harvest and post-harvest handling of tomatoes is manual and labour intensive. You can determine maturity by: Visual inspection Information on seed package (period from planting to maturity may be indicated) Proper harvest and post harvest is important because of quality. You cannot change quality after harvest. Some good practices to follow during harvesting include: Harvest during cool hours of the day. Fruits harvested in hot afternoons have significantly more damage than fruits picked during cool morning. Fruits should be taken immediately to a shade after harvest. Wipe fruits with a soft cloth in the field to remove any immediate dirt that may bruise the fruit Pack graded fruits in sturdy container to avoid damage. Do not handle fruits when having flu or common cold as this could lead to contamination. Good hygiene should be maintained at all stages in harvest and post harvest stages e.g. cleaning containers for picking and surfaces for grading, good body hygiene etc. Quality standards Tomato quality is assessed by: a) Fruit size and colour and taste to some extent b) Firmness c) Absence or presence of disease/pests on the fruit d) Bruises or any physiological disorder that affects the physical appearance of the fruit

12 Parameters Guidance Export market Local market Fruit Colour Orange to bright red typical to variety Uniform skin and pulp colour typical to variety Slight mix permitted Size Uniform standard size typical to variety All fruits same standard size typical to variety Some slight variance permitted. Blemishes Free from any blemishes Completely free from any blemishes Less than 5% blemishes Pests and diseases Free from pests and diseases Completely free from pests and diseases Free from pests and diseases Shape Regular shape typical to variety All same regular shape typical to variety Slight variance in shape permitted. Ripeness Completely ripe with juicy pulp and firm skin. 75% ripe % ripe Skin texture Shiny and smooth All smooth and shiny Slight skin roughness permitted. Post-harvest disorder and diseases Heat injury - Temperatures above 32 C will cause heat injury in tomatoes, which is characterised by a translucent streaky appearance to the fruit. Bacterial soft rot (Erwinia) Rot may occur at injuries anywhere over the surface of the fruit. Bacterial soft rot is easily recognised by the soft, mushy consistency of the affected tissues and is generally associated with a bad colour. Rhizopus rot - This disease is distinguished from bacterial soft rot by the presence of coarse mould that can be seen by gently pulling apart the diseased tissue. Under humid conditions, the mould may grow out over the lesion. Tomato cropping calendar Nursery/establishment/planting Vegetative Flowering Harvesting Post harvest Plough the land 8-10 inches deep when dry enough not to form clods. 2 weeks before transplanting do a final till of the soil while incorpora ting well decomposed manure or compost and fertilizer. Harden the seedlings one week to transplanting Scout for pest and diseases before transplanting Water the fields well to reduce shock on roots Scout for pests and diseases and take appropriate control measures. Stake indeterminate varieties. Regular irrigation when there is no rains. Side dressing with nitrogenous fertilizers and foliar feed. Prompt weeding. Scouting for pests and diseases. Application of fertilizers high in potassium. Irrigate regularly. Determine market requirements before picking. Pick mature or ripe fruits. Do not pick fruits before PHI if pesticides are applied. Select pesticides which have PHI fitting into harvest cycle. Maintain personal and field hygiene. Pick in the cool hours of the day when the fruits are not wet. Weed management. Keep picked fruits under shade or in cool areas. Maintain personal hygiene and hygiene of containers used for handling the produce. Grade/sort the fruits and pack them according to grades. Remove all damaged or rotting fruits and dispose safely. Stage Nursery Challenges - pests, diseases and physiological disorders and others Damping off Solutions - what to do to manage these challenges Choose a site with good drainage and raise beds or raise seedlings in a tray. Mix the soil with well decomposed manure and treat the manure with Real Trichoderma at rate of one 2ml per debe (one sachet for 10 debes of manure) a debe is equivalent to 20 litre container. Solarise the soil. Do not over irrigate. Use certified seeds. Treat seeds with Tricoat at a rate of 0.25gm per one gram of tomato seeds. Plant seeds at a spacing of 3-5cm apart when not using trays and one seed per hole when using trays. Keep nursery bed free of weeds. Cover nursery with insect proof net to restrict invasion by insect vectors. Inspect nursery regularly for pests and diseases. Spray systemic fungicides 11.

13 Stage Land preparation & transplanting Challenges - pests, diseases and physiological disorders and others Pest and disease build up from previous crop. Hard pans Low organic matter and fertility. Solutions - what to do to manage these challenges Select a site having good drainage and previous crop not of the same family as tomatoes. Take soil sample for nutrient, soil pests and disease analysis. Deep plough to break hard pans and burry deep soil pests and weeds. Apply manure at a rate of one debe per metre square. Ensure the soil has good moisture before transplanting. Only transplant hardened off seedlings. Deep seedlings in Real Trichoderma solution of 5mls per litre before transplanting. Transplant late in the afternoon to avoid transplanting shock. Maintain good plant spacing to avoid diseases. Transplant seedlings which are cm. Vegetative growth Flowering, fruiting and harvesting Early blight Root knot nematodes Cut worms Fusarium wilt Bacterial wilt Red spider mites Whiteflies Tuta absoluta Thrips Bollworms Whiteflies Red spider mites Tomato bugs Fruit cracking Late blight Early blight Hornworms Tuta absoluta Root knot nematodes Blossom end rot Fruit crack Hornworm Blossom end rot Whiteflies Thrips damage Spider mite Avoid overhead irrigation. Maintain even soil moisture throughout growth. Drench Real Trichoderma weekly of concentration 2ml per litre of water to help in managing RKN, fusarium, bacterial wilt. Apply adequate fertilizer. Spray with Achieve to manage mites. Spray with approve chemicals. Use yellow sticky traps Do not work in the fields when plants are wet to reduce disease spread. Use pheromone traps and black sticky traps. Spray with Bacillus thuringiensis. Foliar spray and drench with Metarhizium. Use blue sticky traps for thrips and yellow for whiteflies. Drench the soils with Real Metarhizium to manage thrips pupae. Drench plants with Real Trichoderma weekly to manage RKN and blights Spray Achieve to manage mites. Weekly spray of Real Bacillus. Avoid overhead irrigation. Do not work in the fields when the plants are wet to reduce spread of diseases. Disinfect pruning knives with 1% hypochlorite dilution. Inspect the crops regularly and spray with fungicides and insecticides as per the situation in the field. Maintain even soil moisture throughout to reduce incidences of fruit cracking and blossom end rot. Hand pick and crash hornworms. Spray bacillus thuringiensis and Metarhizium. Place black sticky traps and pheromone traps. Tuta absoluta 12.

14 Farmers friends PREDATORS Amblyseius Lady birds Lacewings Hover flies Orius Important in every crop with mites Lady birds are important in every crop with aphid pests Lacewing is predaceous on a wide variety of small insect Predaceous on aphids and other small, soft-bodied insects Predaceous on a wide variety of small insects. Used in greenhouses for controlling thrips. PARASITOIDS Steinernema sp Aphidius Diglyphus sp Trichogramma sp Encarsia sp In a moist dark environment this predatory nematodes kill almost all pest insects. Is a widespread parasitoid of aphids. Diglyphus isaea is a widespread parasitoid of leafminer larvae. Trichograma is polyphagous wasps that are endoparasitoids of insect eggs Encarsia sp is a wellknown parasitoid of the greenhouse whitefly Tunnel tomato production training Farmers all over East Africa seem to be struggling to keep growing tomatoes and pepper in the soil in greenhouse tunnels. Tomatoes DIE of bacterial wilt if more than two consequtive tomato crops are grown in the soil. To help overcome this problem, tomato grown bags are designed to grow plants in compost away from the soil. Tomato bags keep roots away from soil and reduce bacterial wilt. MAZAO MIX in compost on bags and weekly in drip irrigation Real IPM Tunnel Tomato drip kits and bags for sale ENROL on the one-day practical training on Tunnel Tomatoes (IPM programme for pests and diseases, set up drip and bag system.) Ksh. 2,000/- per person per day. BUY your tunnel tomato drip kits from and get them delivered to your nearest Wells Fargo Depot. Overseas customers should contact us at sales@realipm.com 13.

15 Big solutions For small holder farmers SMALL HOLDER ENTERPRISE CENTRE All our products are demonstrated at the Real IPM Smallholder Enterprise Centre in Thika Kenya Here we have a two-hectare demonstration farm where we provide One-day Practical Training courses and offer Educational Farm Walks of two hours duration. YOU CAN NOW BUY ONLINE: ORDER YOUR STICKY TRAPS TODAY Check out our sticky traps on our On Line Shop and get them delivered to your nearest Wells Fargo Depot. www@realipm.com/buy Overseas customers should contact us at sales@realipm.com ORDER ONLINE One Day Practical Training We offer a range of training courses. If the training you need is not listed ask us we can help. Practical trainings: Drip Irrigation management (1 day) Bag Farming (1 day) IPM for Tomato Production (1 day) IPM for Field Vegetables (1 day) Animal husbandry and animal fodder production (1 day) Course Fees: 2,000/- per person (inc. light refreshment and lunch) FREE DOWNLOAD Louise Labuschagne

16