On-farm evaluation of high yielding tomato hybrids against tomato leaf curl virus in southern zone of Tamil Nadu

Tomato is the important vegetable crop cultivated in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Tomato leaf curl virus is the major problem faced by the farmers which leads to major yield reduction. An attempt was made to identify leaf curl virus resistant hybrids suitable for this region through on-farm trials in Tirunelveli district during 2018. The results revealed that Arka Samrat recorded higher yield of 56.40 tonnes/ha, more number of fruits (22 fruits/plant) and lower incidence of leaf curl virus (1.2%) compared to other varieties. Higher net return of Rs 2,30,500/ha and benefit-costratio of2.71 were recorded inArka Samrat compared to the other hybrids.Farmers were found satisfied with the Arka Samrat tomato hybrid due to its lower incidence of leaf curl virus, high market preference and high yielding nature. Arka Samrat would be a better option to the farming community for enhancing the productivity of tomato in southern zone of Tamil Nadu.