Zambia Agribusiness Society

Planting dates ·          All year round in frost free areas or greenhouse. Days to Harvest ·          80 to 120 days depends on cultivar. Harvesting duration ·          60 Days Yield ·          20 000 - 60 000kg. Soil requirements ·          pH 5.0 to 5.5, ·          Sandy loam soils, ·          Soil testing is key. Seed ·          120 - 160g in a nursery seed bed of about 60m 2 . ·          7 - 10 days emergence. ·          Floating seed trays can also be used. ·          Ensure free drainage to avoid damping off. Transplanting ·          6 - 8 weeks after emergence. ·          Harden seedlings when they have 3 - 5 true leaves. Spacing ·          In-row : 300 - 500mm. ·          Inter-row : 1000 - 1500mm. Fertilizer requirements Soil testing is key. ·          Basal Dressing : Compound S, ·          Top-dressing : Ammonium Nitrate and Potassium Sulphate 100kg/ha split into 2 or 3 applications. Weed management ·          Annual

Farming is an important venture that many of us need to go into in order to feed our families and meet the high demand on the market as one or two farmers cannot meet the demand of the local and export market. His Excellency President Hakahinde Hichilema through the ministry of agriculture has assured farmers that the exports markets won’t be closed. Therefore, it will be wise that many people be it old or young, male or female get on board and start farming to meet the demand in the coming days. Below is a simple tomato production guide under irrigation , as water is everything in tomato in order to have good quality and better yields. Land preparation If the land you intend to plant tomato was previously planted with maize or tomatoes, chances are high that it could be infested with rootknot nematodes. If this is the case you will need to treat the soil with cabofuran, phorate or oxamyl before transplanting the tomato. Use a rate of 3g per planting station, ensure the chemica