Red colour and excellent firmness for the cherry tomato

At this stage in the harvest, all the signs point to a season of outstanding quality. The cherry tomato’s distinctive characteristics bring high returns for the grower.

This is a great year for the Durillo cherry tomato bred by Top Seeds International, the global vegetable seed company which specialises in the development, production and distribution of innovative, high quality hybrid varieties.
Durillo, cherry tomato, offers perfect firmness and an excellent shiny red colour, features not often found together but very popular with the large-scale distribution and final consumers. What’s more, no substantial reductions in yield are recorded.

February, in Italy, is a crucial time for the harvest of Durillo, the Top Seeds International tomato variety that stands above other cherry tomato varieties thanks to its high yield, bright colour, uniform fruit, compact clusters and unrivalled firmness. Harvesting actually began in December and will end in late May and early June, but it is at this stage that the product’s quality becomes apparent and forecasts for the rest of the season can be made. It is during these weeks that both the upper clusters and the riper ones on the lower branches are visible, providing a general picture of the total crop which can be expected.

“Clusters have remained constant in terms of both size and number even during the winter, when, of course, days are shorter and so there is less daylight,” reports Fabrizio Iurato, Product Developer & Sales Representative of TSI Italia. “Farmers currently growing Durillo are very happy with production and others are inviting us to view their crops on the plant to admire the variety’s main characteristics – its bright red colour, its firmness and the plant’s cropping continuity even during long cycles – for ourselves.”

Durillo F1 is an indeterminate variety with medium-high vigour and short internodes. Flowering is abundant, with excellent fruit setting even on the higher branches. Clusters are regular, compact and elegant, with visible fleshy green parts which extend the product’s shelf life which allows to avoid unnecessary food waste. The variety produces large quantities of fruit with an attractive bright red colour, and good tolerance to cracking.

Average fruit weight is about 25-28 grams and cropping continuity is excellent. In view of its overall vantage, Durillo F1 is a variety that promises and delivers good returns to the entire food value chain growers, wholesalers, retailers, and also satisfies the demands of the final consumers.

“Quality products mean greater rewards for farmers on the market,” Mr Iurato concludes. “And, thanks to the wide range of genetic resistances provided in Durillo, Top Seeds International has helped to ensure that, even at the end of the production cycle, yields will remain high and this variety will maintain its distinctive firmness and bright red colour, both very popular with the large-scale distribution and the end customer. What’s more, our experience also shows that it is always advisable to use rootstocks, particularly Top Gun, for long production cycles.”

Cherry tomatoes, the complete Top Seeds International range

Durillo is not the only cherry tomato in the Top Seeds International tomato portfolio. It is offered alongside seven other varieties, four of them in the premium range: first and foremost, Top Beka, the cherry tomato characterised by regular clusters, firm, crispy fruit, a bright red colour and high brix level. Then comes Caprice, the mini-cherry variety with medium-sized fruit (about 15-20 grams) and an intense red colour. Its long shelf life makes it suitable for long-distance transport. Gioiello and Stellina are also in the premium segment: the Gioiello variety (formerly CH1729) is characterised by a hardy plant that produces firm tomatoes with high brix level and an intense red colour, while Stellina guarantees excellent fruit setting even on the upper branches and produces an impressive quantity of bifurcated clusters. These are followed by three more cherry tomato varieties, including Hermanito (formerly CH1755) and Sbirulino, which provide excellent fruit setting even at high temperatures. Last but not least, exceptional precocity and excellent colour in different environmental conditions are the strong points of Eletta, which produces firm fruit of about 25 grams with low cracking risk.