Tomato stories in the spotlight this year

The past year brought a wide range of developments in the tomato sector, with growers, breeders, and technology suppliers reporting progress on several fronts. Hazera opened a new high-tech breeding greenhouse in the Netherlands, while Olbrechts Tomaten began renewing its acreage ahead of a major expansion.

Automation also took a step forward with TTA-ISO preparing to launch its fully automated harvesting robot. Meanwhile, multi-year research trials from Grodan, Philips, Botany Group, and others continued to refine energy-efficient growing strategies, and projects such as Tommies' brand renewal, Climalux LED ventilation studies, and Voltiris' in-greenhouse solar panels illustrated how companies are adapting to market pressures and sustainability demands.

Recently Hazera welcomed growers to the opening of its new R&D tomato breeding greenhouse in Made, the Netherlands, to give insights into the High-Tech program and how Hazera will refine its breeding techniques to accelerate the development of tomato varieties that will meet evolving market needs.

A new crop was planted at Olbrechts Tomaten on December 23. The specialist in cherry tomatoes is growing on an area of 4 hectares this year, which is 1 hectare less than usual. The reason? 2025 will be dedicated to renewing the acreage. By the end of this year, there will be 1.5 hectares of new greenhouse space, and tomato growers Patrick and Jeroen Olbrechts also hope to have a new tomato cultivation employee on board.

TTA-ISO is set to launch its fully automated tomato harvesting robot. Years of development and field testing have culminated in this machine, which debuts globally at Fruit Logistica 2025 (February 5–7).

Designed for tomato cultivation, the advanced harvesting robot is the first of its kind to offer complete automation in harvesting. It employs AI-driven ripeness detection powered by Robovision's advanced vision software, integrates seamlessly with standard heating rails (550–600 mm), and features an intelligent 3D-guided smart robot navigation system.

The second year of Grodan and Philips' energy-efficient tomato trial was presented last Wednesday, with interim results on energy consumption, light recipes, nutritional treatments, and dehumidification also shared. This is now possible as the second year of the trial to grow tomatoes in an energy-efficient manner is in full swing.

© The Greenery

With the start of the Dutch tomato season, The Greenery and grower Greenco are strongly focusing the Tommies brand, known for its iconic snack tomato, on taste, shelf life and expanding the range. The brand is growing internationally but continues to invest in the Dutch market with a wide and reliable offering tailored to retail and trade demand. "Consumers are becoming more critical, but also more conscious," says Jos van Mil, owner of Greenco. "That calls for top quality, recognisability, and innovation. That's exactly where Tommies makes the difference."

© Marta del Moral Arroyo

Under the slogan "Innovating to lead: challenges and solutions", Rijk Zwaan organized a new edition of the Tomeet tomato congress on April 2 at the Cajamar headquarters, in the Industrial and Technological Park of Almeria (PITA).

© Gaetano Piccione | HortiDaily.com

In the heart of the Sicilian countryside, surrounded by fields and greenhouses, lies the secret of one of the most popular products on the consumer tables - tomatoes. People often only talk about prices and production characteristics, without giving credit to those who work hard every day to make sure that the chain is supplied.

​© Cooperatie Hoogstraten CV

Tomato Masters in Deinze has become the first in Belgium to install solar panels within their greenhouses, a project developed by the Swiss startup Voltiris. The panels are designed to hang in greenhouses without hindering the growth of the tomato plants. They specifically filter the light spectrum that is not essential for photosynthesis, allowing the plants to retain sufficient light while simultaneously generating energy. The official kick-off of the project took place earlier this month in Deinze. In the upcoming months, four more demonstration projects will be taken into action, with the most remarkable being the first hectare-scale project with thousands of modules, starting in April this year at Meier Gemüse.

© HortiTech

In a recent trial with a lit tomato cultivation LED grow lights equipped with built-in fans have been used for the past few months. There is already plenty of research into the energy savings that the Climalux system brings, so this Dutch research instead focused on another major challenge: growing high-quality tomatoes under LED lighting. The researchers of demo center Proof concluded that the role of ventilation is as crucial in the growth of tomatoes as the light spectrum, which was the usual 90-5-5. Based on these results, they see enough reason to continue the study.

© Ridder

The third year of the research program into energy efficient tomato growing has started at the Botany Group. Together with Ridder, Grodan and Signify are building on their collaboration and are focusing this year on large truss tomatoes. In the previous season the partners already proved that high quality cherry tomatoes can be grown with lower energy use while preserving taste and quality.