Tomato acreage will be up about 10% this season for Nogales, Ariz.-based Calavo Growers Inc. thanks to some added roma plantings, said Brian Bernauer, director of tomato sales and operations.
“We’re doing a much more diligent job of making sure our entire crop of seedlings is grafted to good root stock to give it a really good start,” he said.
This process was applied to a large portion of the crop last year.
“This year, it’s 100%,” he said.
The practice “makes a huge difference” by aiding plant growth and plant health and producing better-quality fruit, Bernauer said.
The process also can help improve disease resistance.
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