The company HM.Clause is facing up to the second year of the variety Ambrosia F1 on the market with some important growth prospects. “The market has given it a very warm welcome due to its flavour,” explains Juan Antonio Plaza, a Tomato Development Technician. This grooved tomato, developed using RAF Delizia genetics, which has brought such joy to the seed company, is extending the calendar for true RAF tomatoes, bringing the cycle forward to early dates (it is sown from the beginning of August and can be harvested in October), and it also allows June to be reached with a gourmet-flavoured product, extending the production calendar.
Agronomically-speaking, Ambrosía F1 brings resistance to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) and it is characterised by less demanding handling and an accessible balance between production and quality. Regarding marketing and the end consumer, it has another important advantage: its longer shelf-life compared to other materials on the market. For all these reasons, Juan Antonio Plaza is certain that “it is going to be a leader in the early cycle.” In fact, some farmers in Almeria who have traditionally worked with Delizia F1 on late dates or other varieties, which are planted earlier, are now already ‘moving over’ to Ambrosia F1, he comments to Fruit Today.
Another material worth mentioning from HM.Clause’s tomato catalogue is the vine tomato, Góngora F1, which will come onto the market during the next campaign. “It already is a variety that is authorised and recommended by some marketers and cooperatives in Almeria, which is a good sign” that it is on the right track. The Tomato Development Technician emphasises its fruit, with a very stable, firm G calibre, its good symmetry, its exceptional shelf-life and its good early harvest.
With a novel format, they are highlighting the HMC 37961 variety, an inverted beefsteak tomato with a deep red colour which, “in spite of being a speciality, is very productive and brings an exceptional shelf-life” owing to its high consistency, ideal for export.
On the other hand, the oval plum tomato, Harrison F1, with a longer career, is extending its market share thanks to its production, its aptitude for early plantations, its ‘all-rounder’ nature (it is apt for both long and short cycles and for vine or loose versions), its shelf-life and its flavour.
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