Following on from the success of its Trial Center Tomato’s first year, Rijk Zwaan has completed planting in its demonstration greenhouse in Kwintsheul, The Netherlands, ready for the second season – this time with an even wider range of varieties than before.

With the experiences from 2011 in the back of its mind, Rijk Zwaan has made a couple of small adjustments, namely to cultivation techniques and the registration method. Leo van Meurs, Demo Manager, explains: “Whereas last year we had grafted/topped plants, we’ve now grafted 1-on-1. We believe that this will give us a nicer, more uniform crop which will be easier to registrate. Furthermore, we’re now monitoring six plants for each variety instead of the four we had in 2011 in order to be able to calculate the average weight of the fruit even more precisely. We expect that this will allow us to present even more reliable results.”

Beef tomatoes for the first time
The ‘TCT’ welcomes some 25 varieties that are new compared to last year, and various rootstock tests are being carried out again too. “The range has been extended in all segments, and the small beef and beef tomatoes feature in the tomato demo for the first time this year,” says Ben Zwinkels from Rijk Zwaan. As last year, the loose tomato 72-388 RZ will be receiving lots of attention. “We’ve now planted a whole lattice of this variety in the demo so that we can get an even better idea of its qualities and traits,” explains Ben. The jointless truss tomato 72-702 RZ also appears to have considerable potential. “This variety stands out in the mid-range segment thanks to its quality, yield and balance: it’s a unique variety that we’re keeping a keen eye on!”