PROCESSING TOMATO PASTE CULTIVARS IN NAVARRA

Processing tomatoes represent the most important agricultural food crop in the province of Navarra in the north of Spain.
The largest mean yield per hectare ever for this crop was registered in Navarra in the 2001 season: over 68 t/ha. 2.266 hectares were given over to this crop and total yield reached 155.246 t (60% for tomato paste), nearly all of which was harvested using mechanical methods. The present study involved thirty cultivars divided into two groups according to date of harvest. The first group consisted of earlier cultivars with 115-day cycles: Perfectpeel, ZU-249, CXD-220, Ruphus, Odin, Red Summer, Falcorosso, J-8150, RS-2018, Premium, Monti, SF-903, Elegi, To-0920, AR-35356, Tarim and DR-10134. The second group consisted of cultivars with cycles of 124 days: H-9036, PS-227716, H-9144, YU-618, WSX-28, H-9665, H-9553, NPT-4, Cumbia, Pizarro, Forum, NPT-10 and UC-82. With a mean yield of 162.6 t/ha (92% commercial red), yield results proved highly satisfactory, significant differences between cultivars being observed. Perfectpeel, H-9036, PS-227716, ZU-279, CXD-220, H-9144 and Ruphus all stood out for their high yield, while AR-35356, Tarim, Forum, DR-10134 and NPT-10 gave the lowest yield figures. In terms of fruit calibre, mean weight for most cultivars ranged from 60 to 75g. Colour and pH uniformity can be highlighted in the field of industrial quality, while highly variable measures were witnessed in terms of consistency. In general, lower ºBrix figures were noted this season in comparison with previous years; 4.5 ºBrix.