Climatic change and its impact on tomato (lycopersicum esculentum l.) production in plain area of Nepal

Abstract

The present study attempts to assess the tomato productivity trend, potential diseases impacting tomato farming and attitudes and practices of tomato cultivators under the light of changing climate in Lalbandi, Sarlahi, Nepal. Meteorological data of the Lalbandi station was analyzed; 89 households out of 248 tomato growers in Lalbandi were surveyed and five key Informant's Interviews as well as one Focus Group Discussion were conducted to understand the perception of tomato cultivators. In the area, average summer temperature over the last 30 years increased by 0.02°C per annum and maximum annual winter temperature rose by 0.01°C, while minimum winter temperature dropped by 0.02°C per year. Likewise, annual precipitation and monsoon precipitation declined by about 31.5 mm and 25.3 mm each year respectively. The phenology of tomato has been shifted by approximately one month, being shifted from August/September to September/October as an impact of climate change. Tomato plants were observed to have suffered from various diseases such as late blight, leaf curl, and black spot which could be attributed to change in climatic conditions. Despite the increment in number of diseases, productivity, however, has slightly increased since 2003 due to the excessive use of chemical pesticides. It is expected that plastic house technology, use of hybrid varieties of tomato and application of organic pesticides and fertilizers could significantly yield more tomato in Lalbandi area.