Monsanto Vegetales is committed to continue developing fruit and vegetable varieties which, in the medium and long term, become an essential element for the chain, from the producer to the consumer.
To carry out this commitment, the company has a team of great professionals and latest generation technology at the service of this goal.
Tomato developments. Amongst the most popular typologies are thick tomatoes, either dark green or red-necked, with uniform ripening. Flavour is, obviously, a key requirement. Although it is true that Almeria is a reference point for winter-cycle producers, there are a large number of crop hectares all over the rest of the Iberian mainland that feed the market during the summer months, where this has been a traditional crop for many years, either open air or protected to extend the harvesting period.
Locations with renowned prestige are Zafarraya, Los Palacios and Villafranca, la Huerta de Conil de la Frontera and several sites in Portugal. Nevertheless, there are many producers located near large cities where tomatoes are grown to supply these cities on a daily basis for most of the year (El Llobregat in Barcelona, Villa del Prado in Madrid, Pinedo or el Perelló in Valencia, etc.).
Seminis has a key presence on these markets, with varieties that meet the requirements of the farmers, the marketers and the consumers, due to the agronomical characteristics regarding production and resistance; post-harvest, appearance and adaptability; and some organoleptic qualities that make these tomatoes the favourites of the end customers.
Clear examples are the Caramba and Anairis: tomatoes that cover the demand for dark green tomatoes for salads, historical in many different points in Spain and clear leaders in Zafarraya and Northern Portugal. Caramba has always been a favourite of farmers due to its ease of growing, its adaptation to different years and conditions and the fact that it is always profitable. Anairis was launched as a response to the demand for a longer post-harvest period, greater flavour, a more marked green neck and resistance to spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and proof of this is that it has continued to rise in importance year after year. As an alternative for those requiring protection against yellow leaf curl virus, Basilea supplements the catalogue, providing, to any new palate tasting it, a brand new experience in terms of sweetness-acidity-texture balance.
In thick red tomato, Seminis also has a super tomato: Matías. With uniform ripening, a good colouring and excellent final red, with an exceptional flavour, very high calibre and a great production potential, this tomato is very profitable for farmers due to its early ripening and the sheer amount it delivers.
It is not easy to improve on this, but it must be done. The market always wants more. Farmers are asking for earlier fruit and a resistance package that gives greater safety to the crop and a setting that is more stable and sustained, on more branches, in hot conditions. The response is Matissimo, with resistance to spotted wilt virus and a very tough tomato, which is just starting off its journey but which is here to stay.
