“The smooth round tomato is less cultivated here in the Fondi, Sperlonga, Monte San Biagio area than in other areas,” says Virgilio Capuano, partner-owner of the Capuano agricultural company (Fondi, LT), who continues: “We saw a first change of trend around 2010, due to a strong attack of Tuta Absoluta, and now, in a few years, a shift towards smaller varieties.”

“In my opinion, changing varieties is always complex,” explains the grower. “We started specialising in the production of smooth round tomatoes in 1996. We now grow this variety on about four hectares and we haven’t changed since then. It was the most practical choice for us at the time, as it was mainly in this segment that we had gained experience. It also allows us to reduce labour costs, both in harvesting and in post-harvest management. This variety is less susceptible to price fluctuations, which are certainly more stable than in other segments, and the profit margin at the end of the year is a little more stable.”

“In short, we opted for continuity from mid-June to mid-November,” says Capuano, “offering consistency in terms of quantity and quality every day. This strategy has worked well for us over time, and in the last three or four years we have been very satisfied, with a good average annual return. Of course, such an approach requires careful selection of varieties. Today, 90 per cent of our production is Carreras, a variety that we have been planting at full capacity for the past two years, with transplants from April to June. We are also in the process of evaluating its adaptability to subsequent transplantations, in combination with different rootstocks, in order to extend its production until November.”

“The plant is well-balanced and easy to manage, it does not need to be forced,” stresses Giuseppe Piccione, Capuano’s agronomist. “With the right attention to fertilisation, there are no problems with the removal of stalks. We have never had serious problems here, probably because we have always managed fertilisation well, adjusting the N/P/K ratio in the different phenological phases and gradually reducing the use of phosphorus. It was only this year that we found a few cases in the April transplants, but we also have testimonies from growers who had no problems with the coeval transplants; the only difference we found was in the size of the berries, which were slightly larger in the Capuano transplants.”

“Of course, these aspects must be taken into account if we really want to find flaws,” Capuano explains again, “but personally, this variety has very few critical aspects. Let’s remember that the first five or six clusters are excellent, and if we take Carreras to the maximum of 7 stages, then we reach the top. It has never given me any problems at the rootstock level and at the commercial level it is a very appreciated variety, with a red, consistent, calibre. I have never had any complaints. Like me, many others in the area grow Carreras. There is no standard line, everyone has their own techniques, but the product comes out with excellent results. Those who grow Carreras here are satisfied.”