"The tomato campaign is off to a good start and volumes seem to be in line with 2018," reports Felice Petrillo, president of AOP Luce when talking about the table tomato campaign of partner PO La Flacca.
Crops are located between Fondi and Sperlonga, an ideal area for the cultivation of vegetables thanks to its mild microclimate, proximity to the sea and sandy soil rich in nutrients.
"Harvesting of the green, oblong, round and ribbed tomatoes started in early May and that of red bunch (cherry, plum and piccadilly) and red oblong tomatoes is now starting."
"The retail chain has been increasingly interested in ribbed tomatoes over the past few years, so we are focusing on this type as well, as quantities available used to be very limited up to a few years ago."
"Transplants must be planned so ripening is staggered. This way, the produce is available on the market between May and December."
Integrated control is used in the fields: "We employ Tricodema spp and useful microorganisms to defend our crops against cryptogram problems. This way, we can use fewer pesticides, keeping residues down and meeting retailer and consumer requests."
To obtain good productions from a qualitative and quantitative point of view and to safeguard the product from soil pathogens and nematodes, tomato plants are all grafted.
"This year, there have been very few Tuta absoluta attacks, nor there have been viruses."
As regards the reduction of plastic content in packaging, Aop Luce has developed a range of personalized cardboard punnets.
Contacts:
A.O.P. LUCE
Email: info@aopluce.com
Website: www.aopluce.com