Catalogue West and Central Africa 2018

Step 4 Weed

Step 4 Weed and nutrient management • Training is the process of applying support to let the plant grow vertically. It can be done in a greenhouse by using wires with at least two meters sticks driven firmly into the ground and loosely tying the stems to the stake. • Trellising is supporting the plant to grow horizontally especially in a greenhouse setting. In the open field, the plant can be untied and laid down in a common direction. • De-suckering is the removal of lateral shoots that develop between the main stem and the leaves. Suckers use up nutrients meant for fruit development and can affect the size of the fruit. • Pruning is done by removing old leaves especially the leaves below the truss once the tomatoes fruit have been formed. • Mulching is important because it excludes light and raises temperatures suppressing the propagation of weeds. Black plastic is recommended. Step 5 Harvesting and curing Tropical variety tomatoes mature between 60-75 days and can be green, pink/light red. Matured red/pink tomatoes are picked by hand for the fresh market. If there is a considerable distance to the market they are picked when matured and green. 18 | Enza Zaden

Cost Benefit Analysis For tomato and onion cultivation Enza Zaden tomato hybrid seeds Item Unit/quantity Average unit Price (CFA) Total (CFA) Land 1 acre Number of plants 4000-6000 Time to maturity 65-85 days after transplanting Labour 600-800 hours 800 640.000 Fertilizer 250 kg 400 100.000 Insecticides 12 weeks 8500 100.000 Tomato hybrid seed 1000*6 13.100 120.000 Miscellaneous 1.000.000 Total variable costs 1.960.000 Yield per plant 30-40 fruit Yield per hectare 25-30 tons 150 4.500.000 Gross margin 2.540.000 Onion gross margin analysis per acre of land Item Quantity per acre Price in Shillings Price in CFA Amount of seeds required 1.5 kg 34900 202.815 Bed preparation 1 acre 1500 9000 Sowing labour 1 person 250/day*3 4500 Weeding 1 acre 3000 18.000 Manure 14000 81.500 Basal fertilizer 7000 41.000 Foliar fertilizers 4000 23.500 Fungicides 9000 52.500 Pesticides 7000 41.000 Herbicides 3500 20.500 Casual labour 16000 93.000 Irrigation pump fuel 7000 41.000 Miscellaneous costs 5000 29.100 Total variable costs 112.650 654.415 Expected yield per acre 15-20 tons 50 per kg 150 per kg Minimum gross income 750,000 3.000.000 Net profit 638,850 2.345.585 Enza Zaden | 19