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Tomato is an outstanding, important, most widely cultivated and consumed vegetable in Nigeria. It is an essential component of daily diet, promoting food security, provide income and employment opportunities for actors in the value chain.
The commodity is produced all over the country but the average yield of tomato is estimated at 3.4 t/ha which is significantly low compared to global yield and other African countries.Tomato production in Nigeria faces significant challenges, including low yield, disease susceptibility, and use of local varieties with poor fruit quality. Bacterial wilt disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the major constraints to tomato production in Nigeria, resulting in significant yield and economic losses to tomato farmers.Pepper on the other hand is a high-value crop making it a sought-after ingredient in various culinary applications, such as sauces, spices, and traditional dishes. The increasing demand for aromatic and flavourful hot peppers has placed the commodity at the forefront of agricultural interest. However, the cultivation of peppers in Nigeria faces several challenges, such as lack of quality seeds, susceptibility to pests, diseases, and lack of improved, adapted high-yielding varieties leading to poor yield/returns.
To address these challenges, the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) has registered and released two new varieties of Tomato, HORTITOM4 and HORTITOM5 and two new pepper varieties, HORTIPEP1 and HORTIPEP2 through the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock/Fisheries on April 15, 2025 in addition to many other varieties of the commodities developed by NIHORT.
The new tomato varieties registered and released are pure line, have determinate growth habit, tolerant to bacterial wilt, good fruit quality, good adaptation to open field rainfed cultivation, screen house cultivation and irrigated system with good nutritional qualities (high Vitamin C, lycopene, total carotenoid). They have maturity period of 80 – 90 days with potential yield of 21.7 t/ha -27.2 t/ha, a remarkable improvement on existing average of 3.9 to 10 tonnes obtainable across the various ecological zones of the country and can be cultivated in the rainforest, derived guinea and Sudan Savanna ecologies.
Also, the newly registered and released pepper varieties are open pollinated with erect plant habit, yellow colour exterior matured fruit, good adaptation to open field rainfed cultivation and screen house cultivation. They are well adapted to rainforest and derived Savanna, Guinea and Sudan Savanna ecologies. The new pepper varieties are resistant to Cucumber mosaic virus, Bacterial wilt and tolerant to pepper fruit fly. They are very pungent with good nutritional qualities (capsaicin, high Vitamins C and Beta carotene). The varieties have maturity period of 100-125 days with potential yield of 18.6 t/ha -20.11 t/ha.
The newly released varieties will enhance the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture andFood Security in taking control/regulating the vegetable seed markets and reduce importationof vegetable seeds into the country, thus the newly released varieties is a giant move to solve the problem.
The attributes and yield of the newly developed, released and registered varieties of tomato and pepper will go a long way in improving the competitiveness scores of Nigeria’s tomato and pepper value chain and increase availability of the commodities in the market as well as leverage raw materials supplies to emerging tomato and pepper processing industries.
Ultimately, the new varieties will promote production, enhance food security, and economic growth within the tomato and pepper sector in Nigeria. It will expand available options and access to improved tomato and pepper varieties in Nigeria.
Details of the newly released tomato and pepper varieties and pictures are indicated below:
Brief on the New developed Tomato varieties
1. Name of variety: HORTITOM 4
2. Origin/source of variety: NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NIHORT)
3. Type of variety: Pure line
4. Morphological characteristics: Determinate growth habit, intermediate stem pubescence, slight sparse foliage cover, predominant rounded fruit shape, red colour exterior and interior of mature fruit, and flat fruit blossom end shape.
5. Adaptation: Rainforest, derived guinea and Sudan Savanna ecologies
6. Days to maturity: 80 – 90
7. Potential yield: 27.2 t/ha
8. Pest and disease reaction: Tolerant to bacterial wilt, early blight, Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl.
9. Outstanding characteristics: Tolerant to bacterial wilt, high yield potential, medium maturity (80-90), good fruit quality, good adaptation to open field rainfed cultivation, and irrigated system.
10. Nutrient contents: high Vitamin C (14.40 mg/100g), lycopene (11.58mg/100g), Total carotenoid (9.22 mg/100g), and Brix (4.50)
11. Year of release: April 2025
1. Name of variety: HORTITOM 5
2. Origin/source of variety: National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT)
3. Type of variety: Pure line
4. Morphological characteristics: Determinate growth habit, intermediate stem pubescence,
predominant rounded fruit shape, red colour exterior and interior of mature fruit, and flat fruit
blossom end shape.
4. Adaptation: Rainforest, derived guinea, and Sudan Savanna ecologies.
5. Days to maturity: 80 – 90
6. Potential yield: 21.7 t/ha
7. Pest and disease reaction: Tolerant to bacterial wilt, tolerant to early blight, and Tomato
Yellow Leaf Curl.
8. Outstanding characteristics: Tolerant to bacterial wilt, Medium maturity (80-90 days), good
fruit quality, good adaptation to open field rainfed cultivation, and irrigated system.
9. Nutrient contents: high Vitamin C (8.5 mg/100g), lycopene (10.18 mg/100g), and Brix (5.00)
10. Year of release: April, 2025
Brief on the New developed Pepper varieties
1. Name of variety: HORTIPEP 1
2. Origin/source of variety: NIHORT
3. Type of variety: Open pollinated variety
4. Morphological characteristics: Erect plant habit, blocky fruit shape, yellow colour
exterior matured fruit, Light green colour immature fruit.
5. Adaptation: Rainforest and derived Savanna, Guinea and Sudan Savanna ecologies
6. Days to maturity: 100-125
7. Potential yield: 20.11 t/ha
8. Pest and disease reaction: resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus, Bacterial wilt
(Ralstonia solanacearum) and tolerant to pepper fruit fly.
9. Outstanding characteristics: very high pungency, aromatic and high yield potential
10. Nutrient contents: capsaicin (5.83 mg/100g), high Vitamins C (68.16mg/100g) and
Beta carotene (10.03µg/g)
11. Year of release: April, 2025
1. Name of variety: HORTIPEP 2
2. Origin/source of variety: NIHORT
3. Type of variety: Open pollinated variety
4. Morphological characteristics: Slight dense plant habit, triangular fruit shape, yellow
colour exterior matured fruit, Dark green colour immature fruit.
5. Adaptation: Rainforest, derived and Northern Guinea Savanna ecologies
6. Days to maturity: 100-125
7. Potential yield: 18.6 t/ha
8. Pest and disease reaction: resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus, Bacterial wilt
(Ralstonia solanacearum) and tolerant to pepper fruit fly.
9. Outstanding characteristics: Medium maturity, very high pungency, aromatic and high
yield potential
10. Nutrient contents: capsaicin 12.27 mg/100g, high Vitamins C (57.13 mg/100) and Beta
carotene content (15.00 µg/g)
11. Year of release: April, 2025
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