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Robust tomato variety getting popular

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By No Author
KATHMANDU, June 21: Dr Kedar Budhathoki, a agricultural scientist, had never thought that his contact with Shrijana Upadhya, a research fellow from Himachal Agriculture University of India, would bring a remarkable change in his research career.[break]



Shrijana left for further study to the USA few years ago, but her name has stayed on, becoming popular among Nepali tomato growing farmers, seed traders and most importantly among seed developing scientists.



Budhathoki, the then chief of Horticulture Research Division at Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) in 2001, developed the first ever hybrid tomato seeds with the help from Shrijana, who provided some bacteria wilt-resistant hybrid lines of tomatoes from Himanchal.



Budhathoki cross-bred between HRD1--a small fruit giving, short plant and bacteria-wilt resistant breed--with HRD 17--a big fruit giving, tall bacteria resistant plant--to develop ´Shrijana´ (F1 hybrid).



"It took more than six years of rigorous research to develop the hybrid--Shrijana--as a bacteria-wilt resistant and high-yielding variety," said Budhathoki.



The variety is popular among more than 3,500 Nepali farmers across the country. That is not all. It has begun penetrating the Indian and Bhutanese markets. "We have received encouraging response from farmers of Sikkim and Bhutan where we sent 5kg and a 500 grams of seeds from this year," said Budhathoki. ´Shrijana´ seed is selling for Rs 110,000 per kg in the Nepali market.



Budhathoki is now leading a team of technicians for the commercial production of ´Shrijana´ at a farm of Gorkha Seeds Company--a commercial seed producer--at Nakhkhu, Lalitpur.



Bishnu Marahaththha, proprietor of Gorkha Seeds and Agro Traders--an authorized dealer and marketer, said that sales of ´Shrijana´ rose to 35 kg this year from 27 kg last year.



"We have targeted to sell 50 kg through next year," said Marahaththa.



"We have also received purchase orders for ´Shrijana´ from Bangladesh," said Budhathoki, who is heading for Bangladesh next week for marketing and training the Bangladeshi farmers and agriculture technicians about the techniques of tomato farming.

According to Budhathoki, Shrijana can be produced throughout the year in any climate across the country.

It is not only all-season breed, but is fully resistant to bacteria-wilt as well as moisture during rainy season.

Budhathoki claimed that Shrijana can give a yield of 6 kg to 12 kg per plant depending on the techniques applied in farming. Khuma Arayal, who hails from Harineta- 4 of Gulmi, is one of the farmers benefiting from the ´Shrijana´ for the last one year.

"I have doubled the number of tomato plants to 13,000 this year from 6,000 last year as I saw more benefits in tomato farming with the rising price of tomatoes in the market," said Aryal who is farming tomatoes in more than 17 ropanies of leased land using plastic tunnel.



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