Tomato growers are enjoying mixed fortunes this season, with UK producers enjoying a strong season despite varying light levels, but many Dutch growers struggling with excessive heat.
“The UK crop is healthy, but on the continent, particularly in the Netherlands, they have had temperatures in the high 20s°C and even 30°C, which has caused problems with ripening,” said industry spokesman Gerry Hayman.
At such high temperatures lycopene in the fruit is activated and it colours up and ripens very quickly. Although many growers in tropical countries have cooling systems in their glasshouses, these are not commonplace in northern Europe. Some growers have thermal screens which they can pull across to help lower temperatures, but for a lot of growers, according to Hayman, their product quality has been suffering.
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