First Look - Ferreira and Novero Growing Tips

With the appearance of ToBRFV the industry has been in need of peace of mind from this virus without compromising on quality or yield in their products. De Ruiter® and Seminis® Brands set efforts to breed, test and innovate new varieties that have potential resistance to ToBRFV. Two of those are Ferreira and Novero.  Ferreira and Novero are hybrids suitable for short crop cycles in the greenhouse industry. In 2022 external grower trials,were first tested in Ontario, Western Canada and United States at 10 external grower trialing site locations.  They were grafted on DR0141TX rootstock and set for test in long crop cycles. The results were promising in terms of production potential and excellent number of sets of fruits delivered per plant compared to other varieties in the market, to name a few: Torero, Touche and Ondero. During this 2022 external trialing cycle, the response at contaminated ToBRFV environments displayed Intermediate Resistance (IR) to the virus. 

With these results, De Ruiter® launched Ferreira and Novero for Canada and United States in the Fall of 2022.

Given the fact Ferreira and Novero have very similar plant behavior, we created this growing tip document as one fit for both varieties.

For “year-round” crops in the high-tech greenhouse industry, the seeding schedule follows the traditional crop cycle in Canada/US, happening mostly in November and in December. The plants must be grafted on a very strong rootstock and preferably pinched on the 2^nd true leaf. The recommended transplant months are January, February, and March. All conducted trials in the development of these varieties were done and evaluated on grafted 2:1 plants.  

Ferreira and Novero can also be grown as fall crops, and it follows the traditional seeding and transplant dates for fall crops.

Transplanting must be done once plants reach the standard height and phenological development suitable for the industry. Usually, plants are transplanted from 42 to 52 days old, with 20-25 cm height. Greenhouse transplant and spacing varies according to the greenhouse set up. As a rule of thumb, in Southern Ontario, beef steak varieties grown in poly houses are set at 3 heads per m2. If grown in glasshouses, stems must be set at a higher density, likely min at 3.4-3.5 heads/m2. For more  Northern locations, consider higher number of heads/m2.

Growing the crop at the right head density is of upmost importance because in summertime the LAI (Leaf Area Index) will tend to become too low and may directly influence the crop vigor, the fruit quality, and the odds of having BER (Blossom End Rot).

When transplanting in Jan and Feb, grow the crop like any other regular beef steak crop in the first couple of weeks, aiming for good root development in the substrate and perform regular crop work.  

Most growers wind the string around the stems in the first few weeks of cropping, especially when dealing with strong vegetative late producing hybrids. It might be advisable to wind the string less times and move to clipping the stems when growing Ferreira and Novero.

It might be beneficial to prune to 4 tomatoes per set until the crop shows balanced vigor, then prune to 3 until the end of the season. During the season, if crop shows strong vigor, then take advantage and prune to 4 as it suits as long as fruit size reaches the desired specs.  Additionally, following sanitation procedures between plants (sanitizing pruning shears) helps to reduce disease outbreaks.

Ferreira and Novero can be prone to fruit fall when conditions are favorable for this physiological disorder. Usually, fruit fall starts under comparatively low light levels about 3 weeks before the 1^st harvests and lasts whilst conditions are favorable to it. To help minimize fruit fall in a beef steak crop, it might be beneficial to apply multiple combined strategies such as:

• Avoid at all costs temperatures above 18° Celsius (64° Fahrenheit) when light levels are under 400 watts/m2.
• Create an active environment with good air flow in the greenhouse.
• Avoid the combination of “warm temperatures” + “high humidity”. The temperature applied should be always proportional to the light levels present in the greenhouse. If for any reasons the crop is too vigorous, use crop work such as leaf removal and nutritional tools rather than applying warm temperature above 18° Celsius (64° Fahrenheit) early in the morning and late in the day.
• Avoid abrupt handling of the plants by shaking the stems when doing crop work such as lowering and removing leaves. Crop must be handled gently when lowering. Hourly work might be the best option rather than piecework when lowering the crop if fruit fall is observed. 
• Avoid applying high temperatures in the heating pipe (i.e. 70° Celsius, 158° Fahrenheit). If outdoor temperatures are too cold, rather limit the max temp in the heating pipes and leave the greenhouse slightly cooler.
• If growing under lights, ensure the temperature is not higher than 18° Celsius (64° Fahrenheit) during the night when the lights are turned on.

Growers should expect early harvests. The first fruits produced should have low incidence of end scars; if present, the scars should be small.  If you are finding large scars often, then it is an indication the crop was grown too cold in the early stages of development.

Pre-night temperatures may go as low as 13° Celsius (55° Fahrenheit). Avoid cold air dropping on the plants and fruits; it is unknow how susceptible these new materials are for cold injury (AKA Frog Skin). 

In preparation for the summer months and during summer months, when crop is fully loaded, keep crop vigor best possible on the “strong side” by managing conservative leaf removal, pruning to less fruits per set and running cool temperatures when light levels go under 400 W/m2.

Fruits should be harvested at the designated ripening stage according to the marketing needs; fruit quality during summer and fall months is considered standard or like Torero’s, including the shelf life. Based on findings during testing cycles, we found that Ferreira and Novero have a good shelf life.

Pruning should be set for 3 fruits per set once crop reaches balance, however if crop vigor is high and it allows more plant load, then prune to 4. Be careful to not prune to 4 to the point it draws too much energy from the plant, and lead to small(er) fruit weight under specs. Based on the early testing cycles, Ferreira has the potential for an average of 250 grams per fruit and Novero has the potential for an average of 230-240 grams per fruit. This average was calculated from the whole cycle. Smaller and larger fruit size certainly can be obtained, depending on the growing conditions and time of the year.   

In facilities with a recycling system, it is very important to ensure the water returning to the greenhouse is not contaminated with ToBRFV. If the watering system is contaminated with ToBRFV we do not know the plant response of Ferreira or Novero when grafted on a non-resistant rootstock. We also do not know how the rootstock will grow if contaminated with ToBRFV through the watering system. 

Check the crop vigor frequently to make the right decision on pruning and leaf removal. During summer months, compared to winter and spring time months, keep more leaves on the plants to help cooling down the greenhouse. If leaf removal is delayed occasionally, these varieties should not respond negatively compared to a vegetative strong variety such as Foronti.

During summer months when the heat is intense and nights are warm, expect to find some fruit abortion at early stages of development. Consider doing some white washing of the greenhouse to minimize this issue.

Besides keeping Calcium levels adjusted rightly in the nutrition solution, ensure the root system is strong and well throughout the cycle to help avoid BER (Blossom End Rot). Both Ferreira and Novero have shown to not be prone to BER, however given the low LAI (Leaf Area Index), if added to weaker roots it can certainly trigger  BER (Blossom End Rot) appearance. 

A few weeks closer to the day of removal of the growing tips of the plant heads, consider the possibility to prune to 4 or 5 to obtain most of the crop. This decision should be carefully taken based on the existing vigor of the crop, light availability, season of the year and greenhouse set up.

If grown properly with the right amount of temperature and light, and suitable growing conditions, the last fruits harvested from the plants should have the potential for premium size as the plants tend to drive the remaining energy towards growing the fruits.

^{*HR = High Resistance. IR = Intermediate Resistance. To find out more about disease resistance and the applicable levels of disease resistance, visit www.worldseed.org, and view the “Definition of the Terms Describing the Reaction of Plants to Pests for the Vegetable Industry” paper in the Vegetable Resources section.}

^{The recommendations in this material are based upon field observations and feedback received from a limited number of growers and geographies. These recommendations should be considered as one reference point and should not be substituted for the professional opinion of agronomists, entomologists or other relevant experts evaluating specific conditions.}

^{Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields. 

Bayer, Bayer Cross and De Ruiter® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2023 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.}