Tomatoes are the most preferred and most requested vegetable because they are tasty, nutritious, have antioxidant properties, provide fibre, minerals and vitamins. Tomatoes are also among the major vegetable crops with higher value added at origin.
In this regard, Cosme Argerich, a technician from the INTA, stressed the economic importance that the tomato holds for the industry: "The industry consumes 540,000 tonnes per year and it is one of the main items billed in supermarkets. "
As a result of the global trend to acquire healthy nutritious quality products tomato consumption increases; be it fresh, peeled and canned, concentrated or in sauces and condiments.
According to Argerich, thanks to the excellent quality of domestic production and good yields per hectare, this is an opportunity for regional economies.
Rising prices and shortages of energy, water and land pose a scenario where efficiency takes a leading role. Thus, according to Argerich, "the challenge is to increase yields per hectare, technify the management of the fields, especially regarding water irrigation, and apply good agricultural practices, which are essential to ensure the sustainability of the crop."
Not only are tomatoes one of the most consumed vegetables, as fresh tomato consumption, per person, amounts to 12 kilos a year, but they are also the vegetable with the highest level of applied technology.
Some of INTA's most important developments for the production of tomatoes are soil and general crop management, the varieties they've developed, and the mulching or oxibiodegradable plastic padding that, combined with drip irrigation, increases the initial vegetative growth by 30% and fruit yields by 25%.
The implementation of this strategy has a direct impact on the conservation and saving of water for crops. It also optimizes soil temperature, allowing greater control of weeds and protects the soil structure to minimize erosion. All of these factors favour the plant's growth, increasing yields.
Drip irrigation also has its benefits. It allows producers to obtain more than 120,000 kilograms per hectare and an efficient use of up to 95% of the water, while enabling the use of marginal lands.
Source: Infocampo.com.ar