As part of the Grower Academy project, Monsanto Italia has organised a tour in Holland to which twenty Italian nursery gardeners took part in order to increase their knowledge regarding tomato rootstocks and graft technologies and techniques as well as to visit the main local operators and research centres.
The visit, which took place between 9th and 12th April in Holland, was the perfect occasion for guests to get to know the most modern and sophisticated rootstock cultivation techniques and to be led in a theoretic and practical path to discover what's new in the sector.
Thanks to Monsanto experts, the group could take part in training sessions on grafting and get to know and evaluate first-hand the performances and characteristics of tomato rootstocks on a number of Seminis® tomato varieties.
Everything took place in various locations, such as Monsanto EMEA's headquarters and the Tomato Experience Centre in Bergschenhoek, followed by many visits to the main Dutch tomato producers using latest generation techniques in state-of-the-art nursery gardens.
In one of these gardens it was also possible to witness the functioning of a tomato grafting robot and to consider the advantages of this type of technology, sharing experiences and knowledge.
Finally, the group visited the Improvement Centre in Bleiswijk, a state-of-the-art research centre with 1,000 sq m of greenhouses established thanks to the collaboration of private operators and public research organisations and dedicated to the research of the best cultivating processes.
"The initiative was very much appreciated by those who took part, who were able to understand the passion, the commitment and the efforts Monsanto dedicates to this crop, all the while sharing and keeping up with techniques very much important for the future of grafted tomato production," reports Angelo Crucitti, Executive Area Manager for Sicily for Monsanto Agricoltura Italia.
"Nowadays the Company is concentrating on De RuiterTM rootstock varieties - especially Optifort and RS 01658654, the top range varieties."
For more info:
Angelo Diego Crucitti, Executive Area Manager Sicilia
Monsanto Agricoltura Italia SpA
Cell.: (+39) 335 7327541
Email: [email protected]
