"Harmonizing cultivation and marketing is not easy, but certainly not impossible"

The choice of variety is often the difference between success and failure, not only in a given growing season, but also for a company as a whole. In the tomato segment, the choice of varieties is widening and the companies that produce and distribute seeds are increasingly specialized in offering selections that best meet the challenges of intensive horticulture.

Lipari

One year after Mondoverde Semilla launched the plum tomato Lipari and the flavorful datterino tomato Baluardo, the seed distributor briefly highlighted the characteristics that have brought good results to the growers who invested in these varieties.

Lipari represents a tomato that appeals to both the grower and the retailer. Whereas the trade and logistics sectors are looking for an elegant, tasty and long-lasting product, growers are looking above all for a product that achieves good yields and is easy to grow. Lipari offers that perfect balance between the different needs of the supply chain.

Lipari

The vine looks very elegant, as the tomatoes grow on the stem (single or double) in the shape of a fish bone. The dark green stems and fleshy sepals ensure that the vine always looks fresh. The double stems can easily be cut in two if required, so that the tomatoes can be placed in a wide variety of packaging forms.

The fruit is bright red and regularly sized between 35 and 45 grams. The taste is extraordinary thanks to the right balance between acids and sugars. Moreover, this tomato has a relatively high specific weight due to its high dry matter content, which improves its flavor and aroma. The compact flesh means that there are no empty spaces in the tomato.

The plant is quite vigorous, with very short internodes. Approximately 10 bunches are cultivated per plant with a height of two meters. Each cluster contains 10 to 14 tomatoes with a total weight that does not drop below 400 grams on average. Weight-wise the grower often sees their reward (rightly or wrongly) based solely on weight.

Lipari does not need growth regulators and has excellent resistance to russeting, high resistance to ToMV:0-2 / TSWV / Fol:0-1; Va:0 / Vd:0 and intermediate resistance to Ma / Mi / Mj / TYLCV.

Baluardo

The Baluardo mini plum tomato offers the best results in long winter cycles, with plantings from the end of August. During its growth, the plant is well suited to a diagonal orientation in spirals that allow for good control of the development in height. But what really makes this mini plum tomato stand out is its combination of a long shelf life, both on the plant and after harvesting, and a good taste. These two characteristics make Baluardo a modern variety. Baluardo F1 unites all the characteristics to score well on the Italian and foreign markets. Moreover, the color of the tomatoes is always bright red and the fruits do not crack.

But Baluardi is not only long-lasting, beautiful to look at, and tasty, the tomato also has a fairly high Brix. The fruits weigh 15 to 20 grams. The plant does not need any growth regulators and offers a high resistance against ToMV:0-2 / TSWV / Fol:0-1; Va:0 / Vd:0 and an intermediate resistance against Ma / Mi / Mj / TYLCV.