With the aim of generating greater demand for healthier, tastier and higher quality food for the entire table tomato chain, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on high-tech horticulture. This is the case for the seed company Harmoniz, which continues to invest heavily in the professionalization and specialization of this sector.
"In recent years, the demand for products that are available all year round has increased, retailers want a constant presence of certain products on the shelves," explains Wilfred Scheffers, Technical Sales Manager in the Netherlands, who adds: "While producers are looking for distinctive varieties to stand out in the market, we can no longer afford to offer excellent products only for a few months of the year. This highlights the importance of developing products with stable characteristics and consistent quality, which can be grown over various growth cycles and in different growing conditions."
Wilfred Scheffers
"Harmoniz has been testing the adaptability of tomato varieties developed for passive greenhouses in active greenhouses for several years now," the expert continues. "Starting this year, thanks to the opening of a new R&D center, all high-tech breeding activities will take place in the Dutch Westland. In cooperation with Horti-Tech and Metazet, we have in fact inaugurated a 1.6-hectare farm-station, a true 'one-stop shop' for breeding comprising areas for plant propagation, selection of parental lines, creation of new crosses and a demonstration area for customers and visitors."
In addition to the impressive and innovative R&D center in the Netherlands, the considerable investments made by Harmoniz include three further locations, in Canada, Mexico and Italy, for the validation of selected genetic material on Dutch soil. In the three locations, the company is implementing several replications in order to obtain reliable information on the potential and value of the new hybrids for both growers and consumers.
Alessandra Francario
"Adapting a variety for the high-tech market is anything but simple," says Alessandra Francario, tomato breeder for Italy. "Although it is common to think that hybrids tested in an active greenhouse behave in the same way everywhere, each location highlights different strengths and weaknesses based on climatic conditions, growth cycles and phytopathologies."
The project has the dual function of supporting the selection of high-tech hybrids in the Netherlands and the opening up of new markets, such as Northern Italy. In Italy, trials take place in Ravenna at Azienda Agricola 'La Castellanina'. Here, Francario works closely with Koen van der Knaap, which deals with tomato breeding in active greenhouses, and Wilfred Scheffers to conduct screenings and collect qualitative and quantitative data on variety performance.
"Studying parental genetics, starting with F1 hybrids, is crucial for creating new crossbreeds with better quality and performance," adds the breeder. "At the same time, these activities allow us to gather important information, which goes beyond high-tech research. For example, we have discovered that ToBRFV-resistant varieties are also heat-resistant, and can therefore withstand high temperatures. Characteristics such as these are desirable for all growers who, today, face climatic challenges characterized by higher temperatures and frequent extreme weather conditions, irrespective of the cultivation mode."
"Harmoniz is constantly striving to improve its services and products, with the goal of expanding and enhancing the year-round consumer experience, while responding to the changing needs of growers," Scheffers concludes. "Most significantly, this is achieved through key partnerships within the supply chain. A strategy that we have called the 'downstream' route and which allows us to shape our vision to develop fresh products that consumers choose first, and continue to choose over time."
For more information:
Harmoniz
Wilfred Scheffers: +31 6 51163371 
Andrea Tidona: +39 334 135 2581
Guglielmo Roccasalvo: +39 366 988 7564