Ranchi: A pilot project promoting grafted tomato cultivation will cover 100 farming households in two villages of Gumla district’s Ghaghra and Basia blocks, where recurring wilt disease has reportedly affected production and discouraged cultivation for years.Under an MoU between district horticulture department and NGO Pradhan, farmers will grow grafted tomatoes on 0.3-acre plots. They will receive training in seedling production, nutrient management, disease control, irrigation, mulching and pruning.District horticulture officer Tamanna Praveen said acidic soil and the limited success of earlier mitigation efforts had made wilt a persistent challenge. “Despite continued investment by farmers, recurring wilt disease has resulted in unsatisfactory yields and significant crop losses,” she said.The technique grafts high-yielding tomato varieties onto wilt-tolerant brinjal rootstocks. As both crops belong to the same plant family, tomato plants benefit from the stronger disease resistance of brinjal roots while retaining the tomato variety’s fruiting characteristics.Officials believe the method could reduce losses from soil-borne diseases and improve productivity. Technical support will be provided through a grafted-seedling nursery in Gumla developed with support from ICAR-Palandu, Ranchi, Praveen said.
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