Study on Integrated Tomato Production Management in Inle Lake Area, Nyaung Shwe Township, Southen Shan State Back

Ground Inle Lake, situated in Naung Shwe Township, Southern Shan State is one of famous tourist attractions and floating agriculture in Myanmar. Nearly year round vegetables are produced on floating farms and supply to the populace of central and lower Myanmar. Tomato crop is major among vegetables and get much household incomes. In tomato production high yielding F1 cultivars are grown using high inputs such as high doses of chemical fertilizers and injudicious use of chemical pesticides for insect pests and plant disease problems. Using high yielding F1 cultivars and high dose of chemical fertilizers and closer spacing are conducive to insect pests and disease problems. Due to this reason farmer use a lot of agro-chemicals. Now the Lake is facing nitrate pollution due to heavy chemical fertilizer use and pesticide pollutions due to injudicious use of chemical pesticides to control insect pests and diseases infected to tomato fields. Those practices affect the health of inhabitants, aquatic animals and organisms of Inlay Lake. Various pesticide residues on tomato and other vegetables affect the health of consumers as well. To reduce or avoid those problems agro-techniques has to be changed. Wider spacing of plants should be practiced there by reducing chemical fertilizers and pest and disease problems. Reduce rates of chemicals incorporation with composts will improve the current situation by increasing efficiency of those chemical fertilizers. By following this practice pest and disease problems will be minimal. Natural pesticides like Neem insecticide and neem oil can be substituted the chemical insecticides. Beneficial insects should be nurtured by not using chemical insecticides. With this context the Integrated Tomato Production Management should be tried in Inle floating farm agriculture.

Objective To reduce chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides in tomato production To reduce agrochemicals pollution in Inle Lake waters by Agriculture To safe-guard the health of Inle farmers and inhabitants To acquaint low cost integrated tomato production technology To substitute present high input technologies with low cost environmentally friendly technologies Expected Output Tomato farmers will see the efficiency of low cost and Agro-chemical reduced technique in Tomato production. Methodology Site selection Among Project villages Maynigone and Min Chaung (middle) villages, Naung Shwe Township will be selected. Farmer Selection One farmers who interested in improved techniques from each village will be selected as trial farmers. For two locations 2 farmers will be participated. The farmers have to contribute floating land and partial labour. Floating land requirement

the land size 4 numbers of 4x90 size of floating land for one trial plot Variety selection The indeterminate tomato variety Seminis which is majority of the farmers will be used in production in Inle area. Raising seedlings Seedlings will be raised with seed trays by using sterilized compost (vermi compost). Transplanting Transplanting will be done at the age of 4-8 weeks after sowing, with 5 leaf stage and about 15 cm long. Spacing Twin rows will be arranged in one floating land at the spacing of 18 by 18. Input to be used Compost (vermin compost) 0.6 1Kg/ plant (6-8 ton /ac) Compound chemical fertilizer 15:15:15 2 (50kg) bag/ac Potash 1 (50kg) bag/ac Neem insecticide 30 litres Neem oil 50 litres Soap (to prepare neem oil soap solution) 20kg Chemical insecticide (for farmers practice) 5 lit/kg Chemical fungicides and bactericides (for disease control) 5 lit/kg Cellophane sheet (to prevent spray drift) 60 ft Experimental design- Randomized Complete Block Design with 2 treatments replicating 4 times. Treatment 1: Improved techniques Treatment 2: Conventional farmer practice