Belgian grower Luc Coghe grows on 2.6 hectares with hybrid lighting. This year he has opted for Sevance, the newest tomato variety in De Ruiter’s middle truss segment.
Luc explains his choice: "This year we wanted to grow a variety that is accepted by our marketing label Tomabel. Then a number of varieties can be dropped immediately. We had already seen Sevance in the pilot, where this breed stood out because of the beautiful flat truss with six fruits. Especially the extra vigor appealed to us. That’s why we chose Sevance."
Strong
He continues: "We started to harvest late last year. We constantly prune trusses to 6 and sometimes to 7. We only do this when we see that the plant is growing too strong and want to steer the fruit load. Sevance is a very strong crop and you have to restrain it and then one extra fruit can make the difference."
That vigor is matched with a generative cultivation program: “Sevance requires a smooth cultivation strategy with a daily temperature of 20 degrees, depending on weather conditions. We grow fairly quickly with quite some energy for extra vigor in the crop. In the winter you really need to steer the fruit. In the pre-night we drop deep down to 13 or 14 and sometimes even 12 degrees. When the plants were smaller, we would then go to 19 or 20 degrees. The plant is strong, but you need to steer well to get coarser fruits."
Evaporation
Luc continues: "We are still making sure that the plant discharges sufficient moisture. You have to let Sevance work hard and transpire a lot. Now that the plants are bigger, we go to 18 degrees in the latter part of the night. Then you quickly get sufficient fruit load and the crop can be steered easier."
Luc gives a lot of attention to the setting: "If Sevance sets well, you’re on the right track. You have to ensure that the flowers open well and that it’s not too heavy in the head. In other words, Sevance is a great variety for a generative strategy."
Production at a good level
"The crop is progressing well. We had to look for the right strategy a bit and gain some experience, but now it’s going very well. In the beginning I think we may have missed out on some production by being too careful. That's a good lesson for the next crop. For example, the average fruit weight was initially between 115 and 125 grams, but we aspire to 120-125 grams. We’ve learned a lot in the past months and are looking forward to the rest of the cultivation with great confidence."
Low working pressure
In terms of labor Luc Sevance likes this variety: "This variety is easily workable. Harvesting is easy and it grows nice and straight. Topping and twining is also easy. Sometimes we choose 3 leaves per 2 trusses instead of 4 for extra light and sugars to the fruit."
Beautiful fruit
"The fruits have a nice gloss and color well. The quality is very good. The green parts remain beautiful and the trusses are very uniform. At the veg auction we have also already received many compliments on the beautiful tomatoes: a beautiful product with 6 tomatoes per truss, which are nevertheless sufficiently coarse. Sevance is also slightly ribbed which looks nice. And the taste is nice, as well."
For more information: De Ruiter Seeds www.deruiterseeds.nl