Schenkeveld Tomaten produces mini plum and coarse vine tomatoes at three locations. The total acreage is 30 hectares, of which 16.2 ha is lit. In Den Hoorn the Dutch company is testing the new truss tomato 72-760 RZ. On October 8, cultivation manager Berry Baruch planted this newcomer's trial in the lit section. The end distance is 3.8 stems/m2. The large trusses and strong crop are major pluses.
"I’ve noticed that the leaves have been becoming more pointed since mid-May. This makes for a more open crop at the top of the plant. That's fine because now we can better steer the crop generatively. In the beginning the leaf length was long and the 'leaf area index’ was relatively high. On the other hand, we immediately saw very strong clusters. With a lot of buds per truss, up to 8 or even 12. That's really a lot for coarse breeds."
Many kilos
"We’ve also found that 72-760 RZ is characterized by a fast setting. During the first phase of the lit period, we saw few irregularities on the trusses. The crop also looks paler than other breeds. But production is fine. It generates generous trusses every week."
Good quality
"A big advantage we’ve seen is that this breed seems impervious to Macrolophus damage. And the kilos of course. The tomatoes are of good quality. We do our own storage trials and they just come out great. In the lit period the average fruit weight was certainly satisfactory, with 160 to 170 grams. Since the end of April the fruit weight varies between 155 to 170 grams. I wonder how that will develop over the summer."
Rijk Zwaan
Burgemeester Crezéelaan 40
2678 KX De Lier
T +31 174 532 300
rijkzwaannederland@rijkzwaan.nl
www.rijkzwaan.nl