This gift of God and jewel of nature, which until the end of the 15th century was known only to the Incas and Aztecs, crossed the “big pond” with the Spanish transoceanic sailors, spread throughout Europe and slowly became a part of our everyday life.
Tomato justifies its name, for the human body with beneficial ingredients, vitamins, minerals, but also numerous antioxidants. As a unique source of valuable xanthophyll, beta carotene, lycopene, vitamin C and potassium.
In Serbia, tomatoes are grown on 8-10,000 ha, with an average yield of up to a modest 20t/ha and mainly in open fields. A smaller part of these areas is indoor production, which is considered the most intensive method of production. With the first days of spring, while most people don’t even know it, that very production heats up a lot. Tomatoes from seed to fruit in the early production cycle require over 100 days. This is how our most diligent farmers these days, despite the many problems surrounding the current pruning bans, are still in the greenhouses tending mostly early tomato plants. They are mostly rooted and ready for fruiting, probably in the middle of May. This heat-loving plant, especially for early production, must be cultivated in two stages. The first is the production of seedlings, and if the day is known per acre, the tomato crop is expected per seedling. So, in the seedling production phase, tomatoes prepare almost half of their total crop, and the other half in the period of rooting in a permanent place.
Optimum light, temperature, clean air, timely protection from diseases and pests, as well as nutrients have a crucial influence on the growth and development of tomato plants. Producers have the most direct influence on the last two factors (protection and nutrition), and thus on the vitality of cultivated plants. The more vital the plants are, the more certain the manifestation of the genetic potential, usually tomato hybrids, and a high yield and excellent fruit quality can be expected. The fruits must, in addition to adequate organoleptic (all senses enjoy), meet the legal regulations (EU, USA, RU) in terms of permitted residues of pesticides and nutrients. Despite major challenges in production such as climate, economic, demographic and other changes, some new diseases (bronzing virus-TSWV) and pests (tomato moth – the famous Tuta absoluta) many producers manage to achieve top results and yields 8 times higher than average. These results are achieved by the proper use of Agromarket pesticides and Fitofert nutrients, and with the modest help of Agromarket’s Professional Service.
