Tomato producers like Miguel Peña, associate of the Casi cooperative, are convinced: "if consumers do not like our tomatoes, there is nothing we can do but search for new varieties demanded by final consumers."
In the last decade, Almeria's greenhouses have experienced huge changes in terms of varieties, going from tomatoes with large production volumes to new varieties that encompass the entire value chain, offering production, resistance to illnesses, plant and fruit quality, good flavour and long shelf life.
An example of this is the Paladium variety, a vine tomato developed by Semillas Fitó with a long cycle for transplants in August.
Another example is the Duratom variety, which Miguel Peña, producer of the Casi cooperative, is testing in 2 of his 5 hectares. The Duratom is a well-received long-life tomato from Semillas Fitó. "It is very firm, with a good plant that resists cold temperatures. It has a perfect appearance and very good flavour, so it is popular in sales at the cooperative." For Miguel Peña, the Duratom is a good option for producers and distributors. "It is worth noting that this variety's production is very good, with 70 to 80% of G calibre tomatoes which also last a week longer than other varieties."
Moliere, the long cycle vine tomato
José Ángel González García, a producer with 60 hectares, is testing the new Moliere variety, a long cycle vine tomato from Semillas Fitó. "In our plantations we grow Bigram tomatoes, a variety from the same firm, and this year we are testing this new variety on 2.5 hectares. It is very similar, but also resistant to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV). The tomatoes have a good quality, good flavour, have a more rounded shape and an even better colour. They have a strong rachis and a very good resistance to viruses."
Source: Infoagro
