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Piracicaba 25th – Itaocara and São José de Ubá have shown excellent productivity during this winter harvest. Producers in the region cultivated varieties resistant to geminivirus, which prevented both regions from suffering damage from whiteflies, as occurred at the beginning of the season in many other producing areas in Brazil. Due to the good development of the plants, productivity varied from 450 to 600 boxes per thousand plants. In the same period last year, yields ranged from 150 to 400 boxes per thousand plants. The limiting factor during that harvest was the high incidence of foliar bacteria, which caused a decrease in the photosynthetic rate and, consequently, affected the growth and development of the tomatoes.
This year, producers invested in resistant materials, which prevented the recurrence of these issues. However, some producers this season did not divide plantings, so there was no separation between “early” and “late” planting. The number of plants remained stable, but transplanting, usually done between July and October, was carried out between July and August.
With minimal rainfall in 2024 and lower reservoir levels, water management was more efficient, contributing to good yields in the field as there was no significant water deficit. As the winter harvest approaches its conclusion at the end of this month, it is expected that the remaining water reserves will meet the crop’s demand.
Among the cultivated segments, Itaocara and São José de Ubá stand out in the production of long-life tomatoes, representing 70% of total production, while Italian tomatoes account for around 30%. These areas have not yet widely adopted grafted seedlings for open-field planting, with adoption rates estimated at only 3%. However, this reality will likely change in the coming years, given the good performance of crops using the technology, according to local technicians. In protected cultivation (which represents less than 1% of the cultivated area in Rio de Janeiro), 95% of the seedlings are grafted.
Source: hfbrasil.org.br
