New technical manual helps tomato growers manage pests under climate pressure

The Industrial Tomato Competence Centre has published a technical manual gathering the results of the Qualitomate operational group. Aimed at growers and farm technicians in Portugal, it sets out risk-assessment methods and decision tools for managing pests in processing tomatoes, grown mainly in the Tagus valley. Whitefly, the tomato leaf miner and mites, worsened by climate change, damage leaves late in the season, hurting fruit quality and raising treatment costs. The guide describes each pest, flags emerging threats such as Thrips parvispinus and fall armyworm, and recommends strict sampling and integrated pest management. It is now available to the sector.