Tomato Farmers Research Articles

An Economic Analysis of the Economic and Technical Efficiency of the Tomato Crop in the Traditional (Open) Cultivation Method in Sulaymaniyah Governorate For The Agricultural Season (2021 - 2022 )

This study aims at an economic analysis of the economic and technical efficiency of the tomato crop by the traditional (open) farming method in Sulaymaniyah Governorate for the agricultural season (2022 -202 1), which is the productive economic relations between inputs and outputs, determining the level of profits and losses, and trying to determine the optimal level through which the best use of economic resources takes place. The study relied on primary data collected from tomato farmers by an intentional sample of several villages and sub-districts in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region / Iraq. The study concluded that the economic resources used in the tomato production process were not optimally invested, which led to a decrease in the production efficiency of the tomato crop. The study presented several important recommendations that we believe may contribute to improving the economic and technical efficiency of the tomato crop produced by the open cultivation method in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan region / Iraq, the most important of which is the presence of an agricultural extension and technical staff specialized in supervising the production of the tomato crop by the open cultivation method and achieving optimal use To the available resources, which is reflected in increasing efficiency in the use of productive resources and improving the efficiency of tomato crop production. This will have an economic impact to improve the reality of food security, reduce the food gap, and increase selfsufficiency in this crop.

Factors Influencing Access to Financial Inclusion Among Tomato Smallholders Farmers’ in Kilolo District, Iringa

Sub-Saharan Africa's smallholder farming structures are primarily distinguished by consistently poor crop productivity levels. Despite smallholder farmers' output being low, Tanzania has spent the last few decades changing its agricultural policy to make financial inclusion more beneficial and accessible to farmers. In this essay, the level of financial inclusion among tomato smallholder farmers in the Kilolo District will be discussed, along with the effectiveness of service provision and factors that contribute to financial inclusion. The current study used a cross-sectional research methodology in which 199 smallholder tomato producers provided data on a standardized questionnaire all at once. Quantitative information on financial services' quality and accessibility was examined using descriptive analysis. Logical multinomial In order to ascertain which level of financial inclusion was most likely for a tomato farmer, regression analysis was conducted. The degree of financial inclusion of tomato smallholder farmers was assessed using multiple response analysis, and the effectiveness of the services provided was assessed using a Likert scale. The findings of financial inclusion showed that more than half of the farmers (58.3%) had access to financial services. According to the study, financial institutions predominately offer savings and money transfer services. Additionally, among tomato smallholder farmers, the degree of financial inclusion was significantly influenced by the household age, sex, educational attainment, and income of the head of the family. It is advised that the government adopt policies that emphasize providing financial services to many rural areas and teaching farmers about the significance of financial inclusion in farming.

ADOPTION OF GOOD AGRONOMIC PRACTICES BY TOMATO FARMERS IN RURAL GHANA: AN APPLICATION OF THE UNIFIED THEORY OF ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY

This study uses the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology framework to analyze tomato farmers' intention and actual use of good agronomic practices (GAPs). Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 300 tomato farmers selected through the multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results reveal the three practices with the highest level of awareness: fertilizer application, weed control, and pest control. The GAPs practiced mostly by the tomato farmers are fertilizer application, row planting, disease control, and weed control. Results of the Tobit regression model show the extent (intention and actual use) of adoption of GAPs by tomato farmers is influenced by the age of the farmer, years spent in school, years in farming, sources of information, membership of farmer groups, availability of market, performance expectation, and social influence. The results from the study also show that among the major challenges affecting the use of GAPs, lack of credit facilities was ranked first. This study recommends that with the aid of Agricultural Extension Agents, farmers should form cooperatives to enable them to get access to financial support and enable extension workers to easily have access to them.

Assessment of factors influencing adoption of tomato post-harvest loss-reduction technologies in Kaduna state, Nigeria

The Nigerian government's policy on agriculture supports productivity enhancements, yet tomato production is constrained by post-harvest losses of up to over 45%. 420 tomato farmers were selected for study in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multinomial Logit Model was used to determine factors influencing losses while factors influencing adoption and intensity were modelled using Tobit. The results showed the adoption rate of (new technologies) RP was 3.57%, CS = 0.47%, RT = 0.71%, MD =0.71%, CD = 100%. Adoption rate of (traditional method) raffia basket was 100%. For farmers, the highest source of losses was those in storage (70.5%), followed by farm level (14.5%). Results on factors influencing PHL showed that in transit, Modern Technology accentuated losses (p<0.10), while Car/truck ownership mitigated losses (p<0.01) In storage, Modern Technology (p<0.05), Farm Distance (p<0.05), Farm Size (p<0.10), and Own Car/truck ownership (p<0.10) mitigated losses, while only Multiple Cropping (p<0.05) accentuated losses. In marketing, education (p<0.05), modern technology (p<0.10), multiple cropping (P<0.10), and credit access (P<0.10) accentuated losses while age of farmer (p<0.10), years of technology adoption (p<0.10), farm size (p<0.10), and wealth status of farmer (p<0.05) mitigated losses. The results factors influencing adoption and adoption intensity of PHL-reducing technology show that Education (p<0.05), Age (p<0.10), Extension (p<0.10), CS_Information_Sources (p<0.01), RT_Information_Sources (p<0.01), MD_Information_Sources (p<0.05), Labour_sourcesT (p<0.01), Credit_sourcesT (p<0.10), and Farm_Size (p<0.01) were positive and had a significant influence. Education had a quadratic (Education2) negative influence on adoption of PHL reducing technologies. In conclusion, extension services exposure, large farm holding, and multiple information sources positively influenced adoption of post-harvest loss reduction technologies. The field survey also showed a 100% willingness of the farmers to adopt improved/modern technologies. The study recommended using PPP model to make these modern technologies and farm practices within the financial reach of farmers to mitigate post-harvest losses.

Determinants of savings frequency among tomato farmers in Ghana

Multinomial logistic regression was employed to identify the determinants underlying the respondents’ frequency of savings—weekly, monthly and seasonally. The results of the study showed that amount saved per period, number of years of education and engagement in non-farm income generating activities significantly influenced farmers’ savings frequencies. The findings are quite significant as they take the decision to save beyond the suggested two-stage sequential process to include a third stage, which is the time horizon of savings. The findings revealed that rural households are predisposed to extend their savings time horizon by holding onto their surplus funds in order to retain some capacity for their present consumption and other needs before thinking of saving. On the other hand, the anticipation of a gloomy future as a result of bad harvest for instance may induce the rural householder to shorten his/her savings time horizon, that is, reduce the time-frame s/he holds onto surplus funds and quickly save such funds. Finally, the study suggests education as a catalyst to create a desirable behaviour of saving “now” (weekly or monthly) rather than procrastinating savings to the “future” that is, saving seasonally.

In-depth study of tomato and weed viromes reveals undiscovered plant virus diversity in an agroecosystem

BackgroundIn agroecosystems, viruses are well known to influence crop health and some cause phytosanitary and economic problems, but their diversity in non-crop plants and role outside the disease perspective is less known. Extensive virome explorations that include both crop and diverse weed plants are therefore needed to better understand roles of viruses in agroecosystems. Such unbiased exploration is available through viromics, which could generate biological and ecological insights from immense high-throughput sequencing (HTS) data.ResultsHere, we implemented HTS-based viromics to explore viral diversity in tomatoes and weeds in farming areas at a nation-wide scale. We detected 125 viruses, including 79 novel species, wherein 65 were found exclusively in weeds. This spanned 21 higher-level plant virus taxa dominated by Potyviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Tombusviridae, and four non-plant virus families. We detected viruses of non-plant hosts and viroid-like sequences and demonstrated infectivity of a novel tobamovirus in plants of Solanaceae family. Diversities of predominant tomato viruses were variable, in some cases, comparable to that of global isolates of the same species. We phylogenetically classified novel viruses and showed links between a subgroup of phylogenetically related rhabdoviruses to their taxonomically related host plants. Ten classified viruses detected in tomatoes were also detected in weeds, which might indicate possible role of weeds as their reservoirs and that these viruses could be exchanged between the two compartments.ConclusionsWe showed that even in relatively well studied agroecosystems, such as tomato farms, a large part of very diverse plant viromes can still be unknown and is mostly present in understudied non-crop plants. The overlapping presence of viruses in tomatoes and weeds implicate possible presence of virus reservoir and possible exchange between the weed and crop compartments, which may influence weed management decisions. The observed variability and widespread presence of predominant tomato viruses and the infectivity of a novel tobamovirus in solanaceous plants, provided foundation for further investigation of virus disease dynamics and their effect on tomato health. The extensive insights we generated from such in-depth agroecosystem virome exploration will be valuable in anticipating possible emergences of plant virus diseases and would serve as baseline for further post-discovery characterization studies.5s1csuTeBEFLkorHCziRqaVideo

Graded level of nitrogen and mulching effect on growth and yield parameters of tomato in Arghakhanchi, Nepal

A field experiment was carried out to find out the effect of different levels of nitrogen and mulching on growth and yield parameters of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) var. VL443 at commercial tomato farm in Sandhikharkha, Arghakhanchi from February – June 2022. The eight treatments were laid out in two factorial RCBD with three replications. The treatment combinations were T1 (Non-mulching with 0 kgha-1), T2 (Non-mulching with 50 kgha-1), T3 (Non- mulching with 100 kgha-1), T4 (Non-mulching with 150 kgha-1), T5 (Mulching with 0 kgha-1), T6 (Mulching with 50 kgha-1), T7 (Mulching with 100 kgha-1), and T8 (Mulching with 150 kgha-1). Growth parameters, yield, and yield attributing traits were recorded. The result indicated that the 150 kgha-1 dose of N application contributes to the higher plant height (178.13 cm), the number of leaves (47.83), fruit length (72.50 mm), fruit diameter (58.83 mm), Individual fruit weight (71.67 g) and yield (2.51 kg/ plant). Similarly, plastic mulch contributes significantly higher plant height (173.6 cm), the number of leaves (47.30), fruit length (68.84 mm), fruit diameter (54.20 mm), Individual fruit weight (72.52 g) and yield (2.53 kg/ plant) as compared to non-mulched condition. Furthermore, fruit yield per hectare in mulching with 150 kg-1 plot was significantly higher in comparison to non-mulching with 0 kgha-1 plot. So, the application of 150 kgha-1 nitrogen along with plastic mulching is recommended to increase the yield of tomatoes under the plastic tunnels in Arghakhanchi.

Valuing postharvest losses among tomato smallholder farmers: evidence from Ghana

Tomato is a major vegetable crop produced in most towns in Ghana, especially in the Offinso-North District of the country, and serves as a means of livelihood in terms of the income to the producers. To critically reduce postharvest losses to help increase the amount of food available for consumption, this study examined the value of postharvest losses among tomato farmers in Ghana. The data, which were obtained from 203 tomato producers, were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance as well as fractional response and Box Cox regression models. The results revealed the quantity and the financial value of post-harvest losses among the tomato producers to be 3506.3 kg and GH₵3598.7, respectively. We also find that the primary cause of postharvest loss was mainly rot and bruise. This occurred as a result of unavailability of reliable markets. In addition, the results of the fractional response regression model showed that level of education and unavailability of market have significant positive effects on the proportion of tomato lost. Finally, the results of the Box Cox Regression model showed that whereas the value of postharvest losses and transportation cost have negative relationships with the revenue generated from sales, quantity of tomato harvested exerted a positive influence on the revenue obtained. The study recommends the need for stakeholders’ intervention in the building and provision of storage facilities, good road networks, processing factories in tomato producing towns, ready markets, as well as dams to help supply water all year round for continuous tomato production.

Detection and Categorization of Tomato Leaf Diseases Using Deep Learning

Tomato planting has been increasingly developed throughout the year. However, the yield from tomato farming is still heavily affected by diseases. Timely plant disease assessments can help farmers to control the spread of the disease and prevent major clusters of diseases. Conventional disease identification methods with manual inspections are inconsistent and inefficient, calling the need for artificial intelligence to aid tomato plant diseases identification. Convolutional neural network (CNN) is one of the most commonly implemented deep learning models in classification since it requires no data pre-processing, has a better convergence rate and generates decent training performances. CNN state-of-the-art architectures namely the VGG16, ResNet50 alongside a newer architecture MobileNetV2 were implemented in this study; and the performances of the various models in the classification of 10 categories of tomato leaf diseases were evaluated. The various CNN architectures were implemented under different training-to-testing ratios and with the absence/presence of data augmentation to investigate how their performances were affected. It was observable that the difference in loss and accuracy with or without data augmentation was not significant, likely due to the utilization of pre-trained models and the sufficiently large dataset. After training, the highest accuracy acquired was 90.19% for VGG16, 68.08% for ResNet 50 and 90.84% for MobileNetV2. At the training-to-testing ratio of 80:20, the shallow VGG-16 model presented the best performance with high accuracy and the lowest loss, as well as decent recall and precision, endorsing the feasibility to use a shallow model to achieve a promising classification of tomato leaf diseases.

Environmental efficiency in greenhouse tomato production using soilless farming technology

The environmental efficiency of agricultural production and the relationship between management type and monetary value of achieving environmental efficiency are important parameters to assess the competitiveness of farms. The objectives of the study were to (i) estimate the environmental efficiency of greenhouse tomato farms, (ii) explore the determinants of the environmental efficiency level of greenhouse tomato farms, and (iii) calculate the monetary value of providing less greenhouse gas emission (GHG) and effective waste management in greenhouse tomato farms. The research data were obtained from 42 professional and 55 semi-professional greenhouse farms producing tomatoes using soilless farming technology in Turkey by using questionnaires. The environmental impact of tomato production was assessed using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The environmental efficiency was estimated by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and the Tobit model was used to elicit the determinants of environmental efficiency. The results showed that 1.72 kg CO2-equivalents of GHG were emitted for 1 kg fresh tomatoes from the cradle to the farm gate, and 1753.1 tons of organic waste were generated. The average environmental efficiency score of the greenhouse farms was 0.86, while the score was higher for professional farms and glass greenhouses. The results also revealed that the monetary value of GHG reduction and composting of all organic wastes in the greenhouse tomato farms were 1037.14 and 5700 US dollars, respectively. The values were higher for the professional greenhouse farms and glass greenhouses. The variables of education level of farmers, the size of glass greenhouses, net income, waste recycling investment, environmental knowledge level of farmers, and presence of green production practices positively affected the environmental efficiency. The findings suggest that awareness, extension, and training activities should be organized to reduce the farm-level negative impact of environmental inefficiency. Shifting from a static cost impact paradigm to a dynamic environmental management paradigm in greenhouse tomato farms may improve environmental efficiency, especially in semi-professional farms, and increase the competitive power of greenhouse farms.

Prospects and Barriers of Commercial Tomato Farming in Hilly Areas of Eastern Nepal

Commercialization of agriculture has become indispensible for the supply of food and nutrients to people and income generation. Thus, this study deals with the feasibility of commercial tomato farming including the analytical study of problems related to this agricultural system in the study area. This study applied household questionnaire survey, key informant survey, focus group discussions and field observation to collect relevant primary information. Secondary data were collected from previous research journals, dissertations and official records. This study covers the entire area of Ward No. 9 of Dhankuta Municipality. The study based on around, 30 percent (280hhs) farm households of the study area. This study reveals that the commercial tomato farming in the hilly areas of eastern Nepal seems to be full of both challenges and opportunities. The commercial success of this agricultural system seems to have made this system widespread in the eastern hills of Nepal. Apart from this, it also helps to develop the habit of choosing appropriate agricultural technology among the local farmers. Thus, this farming system seems to be a more popular business at present context in this area. Moreover, this study also confirms that the commercial tomato farming is not only a profitable business but also a risky and challenging. The farmers are facing various socio-economic challenges while doing this cultivation. Therefore, this study proves that any human activity is not free from barriers or challenges, so such challenges must be faced in an intelligent way. This conclusion also conveys the message that the success achieved by facing such barriers is sustainable and fruitful.

Factors Influencing Production and Market Participation among Smallholder Tomato Growers in Makhuduthamaga Municipality, Greater Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Agriculture plays a significant role in the economic sector in Limpopo province in terms of its contribution to the economy, and the number of employment opportunities it produces within local communities. The majority of people involved in agricultural practices are emerging farmers and smallholder/small scale farmers. The aim of the study was to determine and profile factors influencing production and market participation among smallholder tomato growers in Madibong and Manganeng Villages, Makhuduthamaga Municipality in Greater Sekhukhune District, South Africa. A purposive sampling technique integrated with a random sampling technique were used to collect primary data from 100 smallholder tomato farmers using structured questionnaires. The Multiple Linear Regression and the Logistic Regression models were used to analyse the socio-economic factors that influence tomato production and market participation among smallholder tomato farmers in the study area. The results of the study revealed that extension access, fertiliser application, marital status, income from production and use of agricultural equipment positively influence tomato production. While, the educational level, gender of the farmer, farming experience, marital status and farm size positively influence market participation, market distance negatively influences market participation among smallholder tomato farmers. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that there should be a comprehensive producer support programme that focuses primarily on subsidising smallholder farmers when purchasing production inputs.

Selection Of Tomato Fruits by Color and Size Based on Arduino

Human life relies heavily on agriculture. To fulfill the needs of human life every day, the process of planting, land, and harvest is fast. Short time and limited power are challenges that farmers should face. Similarly, the problem faced by tomato farmers is that they should be sorting tomatoes based on their level of maturity. The tomato farmers should be sorted by maturity level. The issue is a system of tomato partitioning based on maturity level. The purpose of this research is to design a tool to build the maturity of tomato fruit using Arduino. The tools used are color sensors TCS3200, HC-SR04 Ultrasonic, servo motors, and DC motors. The sorting system is designed using the principle of detecting red green blue (RGB) values of tomato fruit using color sensors. After that, the next system streams the tomatoes to the container according to the level of the decline by opening and closing the portal that is connected to the servo motor. The Portal leads to a ripe container if the fruit is ripe and vice versa if raw fruit leads to a raw container. Results obtained that the sorting tool is able to give a success rate of 90% in distinguishing ripe tomatoes ready to harvest (basil) from raw fruit (green).

Farmers’ Knowledge on Whitefly Populousness among Tomato Insect Pests and Their Management Options in Tomato in Tanzania

Whitefly is a populous insect pest among tomato insect pests, causing significant crop loss through direct and indirect attacks. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge of tomato farmers on the populousness of whiteflies compared to other tomato insect pests and explore the management options available in their farming context in three tomato-growing regions, Arusha, Morogoro, and Iringa, in Tanzania. The study used a questionnaire to collect the data with backup information obtained through key informants’ interviews and focus group discussions. The study findings indicated whitefly to be populous among tomato insect pests. However, tomato farmers showed varying knowledge of whitefly aspects, including differing control options for the pest. Such findings indicated a knowledge gap between farmers’ understandings of the pest and their practices in fighting it compared to the standard and required practices in controlling the pest.

25-Year-Old Man With Fever, Diarrhea, and Weight Loss

A 25-year-old male immigrant from Central America presented to the emergency department with fever, general abdominal discomfort, nausea, watery diarrhea (10 to 15 bowel movements daily), and a 9-kg weight loss of 1 month’s duration. He did not have headache, photophobia or phonophobia, vision changes, dysphagia or odynophagia, chest pain, dyspnea, bloody stool, rash, or arthralgias. He had immigrated to the United States 3 years previously and lived in both Florida and Minnesota. He worked as a migrant laborer on a tomato farm.

The Role of Agricultural Extensioners in the Development of Tomato Farming in the Neighborhood of Folarora City of Tidore Islands

The Role of Agricultural Extensioners in the Development of Tomato Farming in the Neighborhood of Folarora City of Tidore Islands

The Level of Usage of Modern Technologies by The Tomato Farmers in Plastic Spending in The District of Samarra / Saladin Governorate

The research aims to determine the level of usage of modern agricultural techniques by the farmers of the tomato crop in the plastic spending in the district of Samarra / Saladin, and to find the differences between the level of the usage of agricultural techniques, was selected Samarra district to conduct the research, and included three agricultural sector people representing 75% of all people In the judiciary, the population of research included all farmers of the selected agricultural division of 700 farmers. The research included a sample of 115 respondents. The questionnaire used a data collection tool. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part included some variables related to the respondents. The second part included (9) paragraphs For the axis of a For biotechnologies to measure the level of use of modern agricultural techniques in the field of biotechnology, and to achieve honesty, the form was first presented to a group of agricultural extension experts to achieve the validity and experts in the Department of Plant Protection to achieve the validity of content, the method used Alphcronbach to measure the realibity of (0.97) The results of this study indicate that most of the respondents do not know this type of fertilizers because of the lack of availability in the market, because farmers are not satisfied with the results of their use, It is concluded that most farmers do not know that mixing the pesticide with a chemical pesticide increases its effectiveness because biocides are used as a chemical pesticide. Systemic pesticides do not kill insects quickly. The researcher recommended that the agricultural extension system should carry out learning activities to cultivate the tomato crop in plastic tunnels in all fields of study.
 

Colletotrichum truncatum Causing Anthracnose of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Malaysia.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a popular nutritious vegetable crop grown in Malaysia and other parts of the world. However, fungal diseases such as anthracnose pose significant threats to tomato production by reducing the fruit quality and food value of tomato, resulting in lower market prices of the crop globally. In the present study, the etiology of tomato anthracnose was investigated in commercial tomato farms in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 22 fungal isolates were obtained from anthracnosed tomato fruits and identified as Colletotrichum species, using morphological characteristics. The phylogenetic relationships of multiple gene sequence alignments such as internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (tub2), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh), actin (act), and calmodulin (cal), were adopted to accurately identify the Colletotrichum species as C. truncatum. The results of pathogenicity tests revealed that all C. truncatum isolates caused anthracnose disease symptoms on inoculated tomato fruits. To our knowledge, the present study is the first report of tomato anthracnose caused by C. truncatum in Malaysia. The findings of this study will be helpful in disease monitoring, and the development of strategies for effective control of anthracnose on tomato fruits.

Impact of ICT-based pest information services on tomato pest management practices in the Central Highlands of Kenya

Pests are a major threat to tomato producers globally, owing to the substantial yield losses, low-quality produce, and low profitability that they cause. Integrated pest management (IPM) has been promoted as a sustainable, effective, safe, and environmentally friendly approach to manage pests. However, many tomato farmers in low- and medium-income countries still rely exclusively on synthetic pesticides. Moreover, many farmers rarely observe pre-harvest intervals (PHI) after applying pesticides, owing to lack of accurate and timely information on IPM and safe use of pesticides. Information and communication technologies (ICT) could bridge the information gaps on pests and their management and have been deployed in disseminating varied information to farmers worldwide. However, the effect of ICT on pest management practices has not been adequately evaluated. This study applies the propensity score matching (PSM) method to assess the impact of ICT-based pest information services (IBPIS) on the adoption of IPM and observance of PHI, using data collected from 170 Kenyan tomato farmers in 2021. The results show that 48.2% of the farmers adopted at least one IBPIS. Adoption of IPM was at 51.2% of the sample and significantly higher among adopters of IBPIS (64.6%) than non-adopters (38.6%). About 49% of the farmers observed PHI. Further, adopting IBPIS increased the number of pest control methods used by farmers by 22.8%, the proportion of farmers adopting IPM by 21.2%, and the observance of PHI by 61.7%. The study recommends that farmer advisory services incorporate multiple ICT tools to deliver pest information to farmers.

First Report of Verticillium Wilt Caused by Verticillium dahliae in Grafted Tomato in Taiwan.

Grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is widely used to manage soil-borne diseases (Lee et.al 2010). In Taiwan, grafting on eggplant (S. melongena L.) rootstock have been extensively used to reduce bacterial wilt in tomato production. In July 2019, wilting plants were found at a cherry tomato farm (~ 0.5 ha) located at Miaoli County. About 10% tomatoes of cv. 'Mint Shine' grafted onto the eggplant rootstock displayed wilt symptoms. Numerous leaflets with chlorosis, inter-vein yellowing, V-shaped necrotic lesions and withered leaves were observed on the affected plants. Some plants eventually wilted and died. A cut at the grafting site revealed the vascular discolorations on both scion (tomato) and rootstock (eggplant). A fungus with a compact whitish colony was consistently isolated from the symptomatic vascular tissue by using acidified potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates. Two isolates, Ve2 from eggplant and Ve4 from tomato, grown on PDA plates were characterized. Both Ve2 and Ve4 grow slowly (ca. 2.6 mm/day at 28 oC) and shared almost identical cultural and morphological characteristics. They first showed whitish mycelium and cream color in reverse within 1 week. Later, numerous microsclerotia developed evenly over the colony and the reverse color turned dark black. Microscopic observations revealed hyaline hyphae with black, elongated, irregularly spherical microsclerotia measuring 31.3 to 71.5 × 16.8 to 49.0 µm (average 50.4 × 28.5 µm) on a 3-week-old PDA culture. Abundant hyaline, single-celled, ellipsoida conidia measuring 2.7 to 4.7 × 0.9 to 3.2 µm (average 3.7 × 1.9 µm) and verticillate conidiophores were observed. The fungus was identified as Verticilium dahliae based on the consistent morphological characteristics (Hawksworth et. al 1970). To confirm the identity, the internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA, amplified by PCR with universal primers ITS4/ITS5 (White et.al 1990), were sequenced. Both strains shared the same sequences (GenBank MZ734460; MZ736637), and BLASTn searching was 100% identical to many records of V. dahliae including an ex-epitype CBS130341. Pathogenicity was tested on 3-week-old seedlings of tomato cv. 'Bonny best' and eggplant cv. 'Longship' by a root dip method (Bhat & Subbarao 2007). Eighteen plants arranged into three replications were inoculated for each host-isolate combination, and incubated in the greenhouse at 25±3℃. The pathogenicity test was repeated two times, with the result that both isolates were pathogenic to tomato and eggplant. Both isolates induced wilt symptoms in all inoculated plants within 14 days post-inoculation (DPI). Severe leaf drop, wilting and vascular discoloration in all inoculated eggplant whereas slight yellowing and mildly stunt growth in tomato were observed at 21 DPI. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by re-isolating the same fungus from both infected tomato and eggplant. All uninoculated plants remained health and no V. dahliae was isolated from them. To our knowledge, this is the first report of V. dahliae and Verticilium wilt of grafted tomato caused by this pathogen in Taiwan. This pathogen affects over 400 plant species and has resulted in significant economic losses in many regions of world (Subbarao 2020). It is important to investigate the distribution and extent of damage caused by this emerging pathogen on Solanaceous or other crops.