At Fruit Logistica, Xarvio Field Manager for Fruit & Veggies was officially introduced. The introduction of the crop optimization platform comes from BASF Digital Farming. Xarvio Field Manager supports growers in key markets worldwide for growing cereals, maize, and rice.
The crop optimization platform enables growers to predict growth, as well as the emergence of diseases, pests, and weeds, among other things. The platform is part of BASF and combines existing breeding and crop protection products "for greater value." That was once again the slogan at Fruit Logistica, where BASF and vegetable seed division BASF | Nunhems were present together, as they were last year.
Now grapes, soon tomatoes
The market launch of Xarvio Field Manager for Fruit & Veggies starts with the cultivation of wine and table grapes, using the proven models of the decision support system (DSS) of Horta srl, a company acquired by BASF in 2022. Horta is now fully integrated into Xarvio to provide optimal value to the grower, you could say.
By the end of 2025, Xarvio Field Manager for Fruit & Veggies will be running in the cultivation of wine and table grapes, with a focus on France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Other crops will follow in 2026, starting with tomatoes and potatoes.
Horta was already active in more than 10 different open crops, including tomatoes. In tomatoes at a grower in Italy last year, it achieved a 40 percent saving in water use, Konstantin Kretschun, Global Head of BASF Digital Farming, shared at the fair. "And also the brix of tomatoes grown went up by 25 percent."
Predict
Xarvio's system combines Horta's DSS with proven plant growth models and models for pests, diseases, and irrigation. The platform delivers crop-specific insights and agronomic advice to improve yields, reduce environmental impacts, and lower input costs.
All implemented recommendations are documented, follow local regulations, and can help growers achieve environmental goals through reduced use of plant protection products and CO2 emissions.
Resilient tomato
The Xarvio platform is a great example of an advanced digital platform combining BASF's expertise, breeding, and crop protection, says Maximilian Becker. He is the Senior Vice President of the vegetable seeds business BASF | Nunhems. The vegetable seeds business introduces 70-80 new varieties every year and currently has some 1,200 commercial varieties in total available to growers worldwide.
As an example of a new variety, he mentions Arya. The tomato variety is doing well in India. "The variety can withstand heat very well, better than any other tomato," he says. With specific characteristics, including thicker skin, the variety can withstand climatic extremes, including very high humidity.
Crop protection under pressure
Innovating today is not easy, adds Johannes Weimer to his colleagues' story. He is the third heavyweight put forward by BASF on Wednesday morning at Fruit Logistica to inform the trade press about the latest developments by invitation. Johannes is vice president of BASF Agricultural Solutions and specifically focused on crop systems for fruits and vegetables, and portfolio solutions for fungicides.
No new fungicide products have been authorized on the European market since 2019, he knows. Revysol was the latest introduction, from BASF. According to Johannes, it shows how difficult it currently is to innovate with crop protection products, especially in Europe. In the United States, it is currently (somewhat) easier, although there are plenty of challenges there too, including uncertainty about what Trump will do.
Maximilian Becker, Konstantin Kretschun and Johannes Weimer at Fruit Logistica 2025
Slow registration innovation
Growers, under political and social pressure, are working hard to grow with less use of crop protection products. Meanwhile, from the vegetable seeds business, BASF | Nunhems is trying to breed varieties that are more resistant to diseases and pests. This, too, is not easy, however, as Maximilian knows. "For example, new variants of downy mildew keep popping up in lettuce. Some of it we can solve with new genetics, but far from everything, and far from always under all conditions."
Now, lettuce in particular is a crop where breeding is relatively quick, given the nature of the relatively fast-growing crop. For other crops, the introduction of new varieties takes longer. "The life cycle of breeding is usually 3 to 5 years," Johannes says. For crop protection, that life cycle is a lot longer: 10 years. And then there is the challenge of slow registration of crop protection products, which you certainly don't hear about only from BASF. It's a well-known problem in the market, making the introduction of new crop protection products take even longer in some cases.
More clarity needed
Johannes and Maximilian therefore call for more clarity on what is and what is not allowed, for example, regarding new genomic techniques in European breeding. Maximilian: "It can go either way, as long as it provides clarity." New Genome Editing techniques (NGTs) are not going to be a game-changer, should they be allowed, he warned last year. "Don't expect breeding of new varieties to suddenly go twice as fast."
At this year's fair, he added: "While NGTs can effectively improve simpler traits such as disease resistance, improving complex traits such as yield and flavor will still require traditional methods. So the overall speed of development will depend on the context, with some traditional evaluation steps remaining essential."
Slow registration of new agents plays tricks on the crop protection world, but it also plays out in breeding, Maximilian observes. "Sometimes it takes 12 months to develop a new salad strain, but then registration takes another 18 months. By that time, the innovation is already caught up, and obsolete. The process for approving new products from conventional breeding must be faster so that we can keep up with developments in the industry."
The future is digital
Keeping growers "in the game" given all the challenges is a challenge, Johannes and Maximilian believe. In that respect, an innovation like Field Manager for Fruit & Veggies is really a godsend. For example, the crop planning platform allows growers to see at a glance which crop protection products they are allowed to use and how best to do so given local conditions.
Konstantin is positive about the transition the agricultural sector is making to digital solutions. "Digital is going to become the standard. However, in my opinion, the transition to digital could still be faster than it often is now." Johannes complements him: "Labor is increasingly challenging. Also, the people working do not always have all the necessary knowledge. With digital tools like Field Manager for Fruit & Veggies, we can provide growers with that knowledge and add value."
In the pipeline
So the Xarvio Field Manager for the Fruit & Veggies platform is new to fruit and vegetable growing, but despite the challenges outlined, there is also news coming from both the crop protection angle and breeding. Johannes points to the active ingredient insecticide Axalion®, as well as a new herbicide and a new fungicide in the pipeline.
Maximilian points to a new leek variety that requires less labor for cleaning thanks to special properties, lettuce with an extended neck, and a melon that indicates a color change when the fruit is ready for harvesting. Useful for less experienced workers. This makes it easier for them to properly harvest the ripe fruit.
For more information:
BASF | Nunhems
www.agriculture.basf.com
www.nunhems.com