BASF | Nunhems puts a stop to Fusarium 3 in processing tomatoes

Date:02-10-2025

BASF | Nunhems is organizing a meeting with producers and tomato technicians in Mérida on Thursday, February 6, to discuss a growing problem in this crop: fusarium 3. 

″It is a soil disease that is increasingly widespread in the area,″ said Juan Manuel Lapie, Sales Specialist for Industrial Tomatoes at BASF | Nunhems. He explained that, although it was more present in the Vegas Altas area until now, ″we are now seeing it more and more in Vegas Bajas as well.″ 

Its incidence is increasing fundamentally as a result of two factors. On the one hand, the poor crop rotation and, on the other, the elimination of active ingredients. And it is becoming such that, today, ″it is limiting for the development of the crop,″ Lapie lamented. 

According to him, Fusarium 3 causes the plant's early obsolescence and, with it, its death. In addition, if it impacts the crop in its initial stages of development, ″the fruits do not fill out,″ whereas if it has a late effect, once the fruit has set, ″harvesting is relatively viable.″ 

BASF | Nunhems makes your production successful 

To continue guaranteeing profitability for industrial tomato producers, the seed company is developing an interesting portfolio of varieties resistant to fusarium 3, including N6556, its new product for 2025. 

It is a variety that adapts to both the earliest and latest crop cycles, offering ″high brix degrees″ in all cases. N6556 also stands out for its ability to set at high temperatures, good field endurance, and high production. 

With this new variety, BASF | Nunhems completes N6428, a new product in the last campaign, which, according to Lapie, ″is offering very good results.″ In this case, it is recommended for early cycles, with plantations until April 25. 

″We are confident in the success of both materials,″ said Lapie, who insists on the importance of having varieties resistant to Fusarium 3 to guarantee the viability and profitability of a strategic crop for Extremadura. 

The cultivation of industrial tomatoes in Extremadura totals more than 20,000 hectares, where around two million tons are harvested annually.