Factors Influencing Tomato Post-harvest Losses in Mwea, Kenya

Abstract

Tomato is an important vegetable crop in Kenya which is widely grown for home consumption and commercial purposes. However, the crop is faced with a number of challenges including post-harvest losses which is a major threat to harvested produce. Presence of losses in a crop indicates wastage of resources that were put in place during production. Periodic surveys are necessary to help understand the severity and causes of losses in a specific place at a specific time. The aim of this study was to survey on the severity and causes of tomato postharvest losses in Mwea, Kenya. During the survey, sixty-eight farmers were randomly selected and interviewed using structured questionnaire and factors influencing tomato postharvest losses documented. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the information collected from the respondents. Results showed that the most common varieties grown by farmers at the time of survey were Kilele F1and Roma V.F (80.0% and 10.0% respectively). Factors influencing tomato postharvest losses were; poor means of transport (10.63%), and time lag in the market. The common pests that were found attacking tomato fruits were; American bollworms (68.5%), birds (1.2%), spider mites (19.8%), and thrips (8.1%). The most common diseases were; Fusarium rot (45.3%), Bacterial soft rot (50%), and Phoma rot (4.7%). The average losses estimated from the study was 72.0%. The study recommended that the farmers should avail themselves to seminars on fruit handling during harvesting and transport and the new tomato varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases and with good keeping quality.