Adoption, yield and profitability of tomato grafting technique in Vietnam

Abstract

This paper assesses the impact of AVRDC’s tomato grafting approach on yield and farm profitability in Lam Dong province and Red River Delta, Vietnam. Tomato grafting is advantageous to farmers suffering from soil-borne disease and abiotic stresses. However, there is scanty information on the extent of knowledge on adoption studies of tomato grafting technology in Vietnam. Based on a farm household survey conducted in August 2012, this paper provides detailed assessment of the adoption and profitability of introducing tomato grafting in the two study areas. Results indicate a 100% (n=225) adoption in Lam Dong province, and a 48% (n=36) adoption in the Red River Delta. The use of rootstock varieties differs in both locations to address location-specific agronomic challenges: tomato variety ‘Vimina’ (or HW7996) to address bacterial wilt (BW) problem, and eggplant EG203 variety in the Red River Delta to address both BW and waterlogging problem. Estimates from a Cobb-Douglas production function show that tomato grafting increases yield by 30% based. Marketable yield of grafted tomato was significantly larger (71.3 t/ha in Lam Dong Province and 75.0 t/ha in Red River Delta) than nongrafted (48.0 t/ha in Red River Delta). The benefit-cost ratio of grafted tomato production was higher compared to non-grafted due to increased yield and higher premium price. Nonetheless, further validation studies are required, considering the relatively small sample size in the Red River Delta and the high variability of some parameters.