Abstract:
Despite the great potential
for the production of tomatoes in southwest
Nigeria, the region still depends
largely on the north for the supply of
tomatoes. This is in spite of the
introduction of varieties that adapt well to
different environmental conditions. The
study examined the knowledge level on
tomato varieties, assessed the importance
and satisfaction attached to each varietal
attribute and identified the most preferred
cultivar. Purposive and random sampling
techniques produced 205 respondents on
whom an interview schedule was
administered. Descriptive statistics and
Pearson's Product Moment Correlation
were used to analyze the data. The
majority of the respondents were males
with a formal education, according to the
study's findings. The mean age, years of
farming experience, farm sizes and
number of extension contacts were 47
years, 17 years, 3.24 acres and three
times, respectively. The farmers’ most
preferred tomato varieties were Plum
(Roma VF) and Grape. The result also
shows that attributes that increase the
yield and income of the farmers were
accorded higher priority. The result
further revealed that, at p<0.05, the
number of years spent in school, number
of extension contacts, farm size, years of
experience in tomato farming, years of
membership in tomato farmers’
associations and annual income had
significant relationships with the farmers’
variety preference. The study concluded
that the most preferred tomato varieties in
Oyo State, Nigeria, were Plum and Grape.
It is therefore recommended that plant
breeders and other researchers involved in
tomato growing should work to enhance
the least preferred varieties. Also, tomato
breeders should take note of the varietal
attributes that farmers considered most
important for their production.
