Industrial quality of cherry tomato varieties in Navarre

The cherry tomato, consumed mainly fresh in salads and as a garnish for numerous dishes, is much appreciated on international markets. It is becoming a miniature product consumed on a daily basis in many countries, including Spain, although the market share compared with other tomato types is very small. Varieties of indeterminate growth for fresh food markets are cultivated in greenhouses. The food and agriculture industry is continually on the lookout for new product ranges that allow access to different market segments. Due to the obtaining of new, fixed-growth cultivars, and to the food and agriculture industry's interest in this product, the agronomic behaviour of different varieties of this tomato type in outdoor cultivation is being studied. This study has examined yield capacity and industrial quality, in addition to the possibility of mechanical harvesting of the Marasca, Redondino and Somma cherry tomato varieties in the climatic conditions of the Ebro Valley. In commercial production, Redondido was the least productive variety. Marasca and Somma obtained similar yields. For average fruit weight, the lowest value corresponded to the Somma, which is a variety with great uniformity in fruit size.