BANTEAY MEANCHEY PROVINCE, CAMBODIA
December 6, 2024

By Somnang Phalla, Digital Media Coordinator for EWS-KT Cambodia
 

Nor Sovun stands in his yard long bean field in Ra Chamkar Chek village.
 

Nor Sovun, age 39, lives with his parents and seven siblings in Ra Chamkar Chek village, Mongkol Borey district. In addition to raising cows, Nor Sovun cultivates vegetable crops such as tomato, yard long bean, hot pepper, and eggplant. However, he has faced challenges with insect pests and diseases, particularly during the rainy season.

In August 2023, to address these issues, he joined the Nurture Veg project, which focuses on sharing sustainable vegetable cultivation practices with smallholder farmers. Implemented by East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT), this project is funded in part by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), HEKS/EPER, and Caritas Switzerland.

Learning with EWS-KT and Nurture Veg
 

EWS-KT staff discuss farm record-keeping with Nor Sovun.
 

Nor Sovun heard about Nurture Veg through neighboring farmers, who recommended that he join the project because it would be good for his vegetable production. He agreed. “If I do farming alone, it is not so good, because I lack technical knowledge,” he said.

Through Nurture Veg, he has learned many technical skills, such as how to grow strong seedlings, calculate fertilizer dosage, and use pesticides responsibly. He shared, “Before, I never calculated the fertilizer. I applied fertilizer without thinking about what the crop needed and when it was needed.” He noted that he has improved a lot in regard to fertilizing, and he now understands what he should apply and when he should apply it. He also mentioned the benefits he has experienced from using plastic mulch, which has reduced weeds, insect pests, and rain damage on his farm.

The EWS-KT field staff continue to visit Nor Sovun’s farm often. Mostly they focus on insect pest and disease management, and they also encourage him to use a business book to record his expenditures and income. “I am grateful for the new experience and knowledge from EWS-KT, and that they visit me when my crops are affected by insects and disease,” he said.

Embracing Tomato Grafting to Overcome Bacterial Wilt
 

Nor Sovun (left), his sister (middle), and neighboring farmer Rang Chet (right) learn how to do tomato grafting at Nor Sovun’s house.
 

For his first demonstration crop with EWS-KT, Nor Sovun cultivated 750 square meters of tomato and made a net profit of 394,620 riels (US$99), an 89% return on his 208,794 riel (US$52) investment. Using the same area and expenses for his second tomato crop, he earned a net profit of 475,300 riels (US$119), achieving a 126% return on investment. While his profit increased along with his skills, some of his tomato plants were affected by bacterial wilt.

To counter this challenge, the EWS-KT team recommended that he try an advanced technique called grafting, which joins together two plants from the same vegetable family. Attaching the upper part, or scion, of a tomato seedling to the rootstock of an eggplant seedling can provide resistance to bacterial wilt and enhanced tolerance for waterlogged soils and high temperatures. These new characteristics in the grafted plant result in increased vigor and yield.
 

Nor Sovun with a tray of grafted seedlings. Plastic grafting clips keep the newly joined tomato and eggplant stems together.
 

To carry out tomato grafting, specific tools and materials are required: sharp grafting shears, eggplant seedlings, tomato seedlings, grafting clips, and grafting tubes. After grafting, the eggplant rootstock provides a new root system for the tomato seedling.

Nor Sovun was eager to learn this new technique—which is relatively easy to do, even for beginners—and he has high hopes for his tomato crop this season.

“I am really interested in learning this, and hopefully it will improve my yield. I have set up a grafting chamber for post-grafting storage and prepared tomato seedlings and eggplant seedlings, along with other necessary materials for tomato grafting,” Nor Sovun said when the EWS-KT team arrived at his farm to provide a hands-on training in tomato grafting.

“This is my first time trying it,” he added, “and I am willing to share my experience with other farmers who are interested in learning this new technique.”

For more on tomato grafting in Cambodia, check out this video from our Around the VegTable series.

Website: https://www.ews-kt.com/

Published: December 12, 2024