Late planting Test of Zandra pays dividends in Botswana

Star & Liz is a farm located in Medie, about 90 kilometres from Gaborone, Botswana. Tomatoes are an important crop and many different varieties have been tested at various times. The variety Zandra has produced remarkable results from an experimental late-season planting. 10,000 seedlings were transplanted at the end of February with winter looming on the horizon. It was important for Star & Liz to identify a variety with the ability to produce size and quality as deep into the winter as possible. This extends the marketing season resulting in better margins.

Harvest began late in April and continued up until the first frost in June. An average of 100 crates per week was achieved over this period. The uniformity and size of the fruit can be seen in the attached pictures. Director of Star & Liz, Tshepo Puna Lemme, was extremely pleased with the result. She describes Zandra as “an excellent, high-yielding tomato variety with good disease resistance, very firm, attractive, high-quality fruit which have a very long shelf-life”.

Zandra displays several characteristics that make it ideal for the late slot. It is an ultra-quick maturing determinate variety with a concentrated bearing period. It is highly versatile with a strong disease package and produces top-quality fruit, which transports well and lasts long periods on the shelf. It can be used in early slots to good effect and is also an option for main-season production.

Well done to all at Star & Liz. We look forward to further success stories from your tomato productions.