Tomatoes grafted into eggplant rootstock produce more fruits

Tomato grafted into eggplant rootstock for off-season is capable of producing more fruits during wet-hot seasons. Researchers from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development (AVRDC) refined at the Central Luzon Research Development Authority (CLSU). Researchers say that its low temperature tolerance carries a growth period extension.

According to researches, eggplant roots can tolerate flooding better than tomato roots and can resist infection of bacterial wilt-causing organisms.

Farmers and agricultural technicians say the technology is met with doubts. This is an extension approach to enhance the adoption and dissemination of the grafted tomato technology.

To determine the effectiveness of the FFS, a study was conducted by Teotimo M. Aganon, Clarita P. Aganon, Aurea C. Roxas, Eduardo G. Marzan Jr. and Rolando V. Pagadian in Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, entitled "Farmer field school: A vehicle for accelerating dissemination of grafted tomato technology for off-season production."

A selected local government unit LGU of Region 3 expressed interest and support for the project as manifested by their signing of an agreement to formalize a procedure for technology promotion among off-season vegetable growers. Manuals were distributed during training programs and technology fairs, and to farming communities and project sites.

The benefits and requirements for the adoption of the grafted tomato technology were discussed during the training of farmers. In the FFS demo farms the yields obtained from grafted tomato with and without rain shelter outyielded all the other learning plots.