Embrapa's hybrid tomato can generate opportunities for the productive sector in the Northeast

BRS Sena, the first hybrid creeping tomato developed in Brazil, has showed potential for production in the Brazilian Northeast. Experiments conducted by Embrapa in Alagoas, since 2020, have been presenting results promising positions for product positioning in different market niches.

In the first planting carried out in Alagoas, in the municipality of Coruripe, the harvest was 70 tons per hectare (t/ha). Productivity exceeded state average, recorded as 56 t/ha, according to 2019 data from the Institute Brazilian Geography and Statistics (IBGE), despite being lower than other regions, which present more favorable conditions. In other regions of the country, the production exceeds 100 tons per hectare, even so, researchers consider the results to be very promising.

Intense red in color, good pulp consistency and viscosity, BRS Sena has a differentiated flavor and a high brix level, with a balance between sweetness and acidity, which pleases consumers and also the food industry. processing. The challenge is cultivation in regions with a hot and humid climate, as is the case of Zona da Mata in Alagoas, where the experiments are carried out.

The plant, originally adapted to mild climates, has a wide ideal thermal temperature between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius. In the northeastern region tested, the temperatures range from 25 to 35 degrees. In this environment, plants are subjected to extreme physiological conditions. “So no one believed it would be possible to produce there”, says analyst Flávia Teixeira, agronomist engineer at Embrapa Hortaliças, who works at Embrapa Alimentos e Territories (AL).

“It’s the beginning of a process; we are just getting started”, ponders Teixeira, responsible for supporting the development of horticulture in the Northeast. The region There is no tradition in the production of some vegetables, due to the intense heat and excess humidity, which encourages the occurrence of diseases and makes it difficult to production.

Fieldwork has been carried out by Embrapa in the state of Alagoas for three years and include carrot, pepper and garlic crops, but tomatoes are what has attracted more attention from producers due to its potential for aggregating value.

Good appearance and disease resistance

Elongated, firm fruits, with an average weight of 70 grams, are characteristics of the BRS Sena hybrid. Also noteworthy are productivity and brix degree. Furthermore, researchers point out resistance to diseases fungi caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, breeds 1 and 2, Verticilium dahliae race 1, bacterial spot (Pseudomonas syringae PV. tomato race 0), to root-knot nematodes (Melodoigyne javanica e M. incognita), begomovirus and bacterial spot (xanthomonas spp.).

For Klecio Santos, president of Cooperativa Pindorama, a company that supported a pilot planting, the partnership with Embrapa tends to generate good opportunities for farmers in the region, as it allows expanding the range of production. “The technology implemented by the agency has made the country man overcome adversity and achieve new achievements,” he said. “The more quality products on the market, the greater the generation of employment and income, and Brazilians will have a safer, healthier and nutritious”, highlights Santos.

For the pilot planting of tomatoes, Embrapa provided the seeds and provided technical assistance for managing the area and recommendations for cultivation. The partner companies bore the production costs and were responsible for cultural treatments and harvesting. The experiments have three different focuses: industrial processing, the table market, and production in greenhouses for consumption in niche markets.

In addition to the tests carried out at Cooperativa Pindorama, in Coruripe (AL), two other experiments are being conducted in the state of Alagoas, in municipalities of Barra de Santo Antônio and Marechal Deodoro, in partnership with local producers.

Advisor to the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel) in Alagoas André Generoso supports the initiative. “Now I understand that in order to create a variety like BRS Sena there is a large number of researchers who combine their knowledge to generate a product of excellent quality. Your color, firmness and high brix, not to mention the health on the field that the hybrid demonstrates, make this product viable for our kitchen,” he said.

In the opinion of producer Carolina Carnaúba, “Alagoas being a hub tourism and gastronomy that ‘imports’ more than 80% of the tomatoes it consumes, Producing the Sena tomato with the support of Embrapa made sense from the beginning for us. It is a different species for the production of sauces and which It surprised us very positively, so much so that we are expanding production.”

The region has a consumer market with great potential, according to Flávia Teixeira, especially for her tourist vocation associated with culture to feed. Alagoas is an importer of vegetables produced in other states, such as Bahia, Pernambuco and even in the Federal District.

With the first favorable results, the agronomist believes that the experiments will be able to attract more partners from the production sector. A idea is to formalize new partnerships for the evaluation of other varieties with differentiated characteristics, boosting vegetable production in the state and in the Northeast.

“The partnership between Embrapa Alimentos e Território and Embrapa Vegetables are being very beneficial for Alagoas and the Northeast region”, said the general head of the Unit based in Maceió, João Flávio Veloso. “Other innovations will certainly come, and Those who benefit from this are food producers and consumers.”