A new era at Vilmorin-Mikado

After Fullpro F1 and Fusapro F1, the company is extending its new generation rootstock portfolio with GoPro F1

Vilmorin-Mikado is one of the companies that have been working the longest on inter-specific tomato rootstock. It started its journey in this segment in 2008 in Spain, and it is currently one of the reference companies on the market. At present, the company is in the middle of a changeover phase and it is working on the development of materials to replace the current range of hybrids with others from the new generation.

On a commercial level, its portfolio includes five varieties within all the segments of hardiness that are widely known by clients. From greater to lesser hardiness they are: Interpro F1, Fusapro F1, Superpro F1, Forzapro F1 and Fullpro F1. The next rootstock to join its offer is Gopro F1, a replacement for Interpro F1. “It is framed in the same hardiness line as Interpro F1, but with the difference that it brings the quality and resistances of the new generation with it,” states Juan José Benito, a Sales Representative at VilmorinMikado.

This year the company will start to reveal Gopro F1 in a pre-commercial phase and it will foreseeably be on the market between April and May, 2024.

Greater quality and more resistances

Just a year ago, Vilmorin-Mikado presented the new generation varieties Fusapro F1 and Fullpro F1, which include genetic resistance to Fusarium oxysporumf.sp.lycopersici (For) and Fol:0.1.2(1-3)USA. With this line of development, an improvement in the seed quality and of the physical characteristics of the rootstock have been achieved. These are characteristics that allow seed companies to have a better material, and it also benefits the producers, as the plants are easier to handle in the fields. “They have greater hypocotyl height, a larger germination percentage and a useful plant percentage (UPL) that is above 95%,” Juan José Benito explains.

Vilmorin-Mikado’s strategy involves having different types of root systems and different root morphologies in each hardiness segment (high, medium and low). “Hardiness is a relative aspect. When choosing a rootstock and opting for more or less hardiness, the region where the crop is located, the weather conditions, the type of water, the soil… must all be considered into account.” To do this, the team at VilmorinMikado offers an advisory service to its clients.