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Predictable Yield Under Heat: What We Learned from the 2025 AGRAZ × Salicrop Processing Tomato Project (H1311)
In 2025, Salicrop and AGRAZ S.A.U partnered to evaluate how a seed-applied treatment designed to improve resistance to abiotic stress performs in real-world processing tomato production. The trials focused on H1311, a high-lycopene variety widely used for industrial processing, and were implemented across three commercial plots in Vegas Bajas: Los Cominos, Aldea del Conde, and La Albuera.
This wasn’t a “perfect conditions” season and that’s exactly why the data matters.
The 2025 reality: heatwaves, warm nights, and stress during the critical window
The season was marked by extreme heatwaves from late May onward, with daytime temperatures frequently exceeding 35–40°C and nighttime temperatures staying above 21°C. Those conditions are well-known to reduce tomato performance, especially during flowering and fruit set the moment when yield potential is decided.
How we validated performance: yield + quality + independent remote sensing
To ensure the results weren’t “just one measurement,” we combined:
- Agronomic outcomes: yield per hectare, marketable fruit, losses (e.g., rot)
- Quality metrics relevant for processors: Brix, color, pH, lycopene
- Remote sensing indices to track crop health and canopy behavior over time:
- NDVI, EVI, LAI, CHI and (where available) thermal signals
- Monitoring and imagery through platforms such as xFarm and analysis via D4S heatwave-response curves
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This approach let us see not only what happened at harvest, but why it happened during the season especially around heat events.
Plot highlights: what changed in yield, quality, and losses
1) Aldea del Conde: +22% yield, better lycopene, and fewer rotten fruits
This site delivered the clearest “business case” signal:
- Yield: 106.8 t/ha vs 87.4 t/ha in control (+22%)
- Lycopene: +13.6%
- Rotten fruit: –43%
- Economics: +19.4 t/ha uplift; at €115/ton, ~€2,231/hectare additional income
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Remote sensing supported the agronomy: while control areas showed a visible decline in vegetative health after peak July heat, the treated area maintained canopy vigor longer consistent with improved stress tolerance.
Why it matters: more tons is good more marketable tons is better. Reducing rot and limited-use fruit directly increases what the grower can actually deliver (and what the processor can rely on).
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2) Los Cominos: modest yield lift, big quality upside
Los Cominos showed a smaller yield effect but strong quality gains:
- Yield: +2.5%
- Lycopene: +25%
- Brix & color: +2–8% improvement
Remote sensing indicators (EVI, LAI, CHI) pointed to sustained canopy activity and higher chlorophyll later into the season suggesting delayed senescence and resilience through late-summer stress.
Why it matters: processors don’t only buy weight they buy processing performance. Lycopene and color improvements can translate into better industrial value (and better differentiation for growers supplying high-quality streams).
3) La Albuera: +14% yield with quality preserved under difficult baseline conditions
At Juan Muñoz’s La Albuera site:
- Yield: +14% (reported as ~69 t/ha vs ~60 t/ha control)
- Economics: roughly €1,035/hectare additional income (based on €115/ton)
- Quality: stable and within industry standards; no negative impact on processing parameters
This field had limiting baseline conditions (including long-term monoculture and late planting), increasing vulnerability to heat waves. In such cases, the value of resilience often shows up as risk reduction and harvest stability, not only maximum yield.
What remote sensing revealed: the “resilience signature”
Across the campaign, the remote sensing story was consistent:
- Minimal differences early (before stress becomes decisive)
- Separation after heat events, especially during the rebound period
- Treated plots frequently maintained:
- higher chlorophyll indices (CHI),
- better leaf density (LAI),
- stronger biomass signals (EVI) later into the season
This is important because it turns results into a repeatable commercial narrative:
Not just “we saw more yield,” but “we can measure plant performance during stress, and verify recovery.”
What this means commercially: scaling to 2026 (500 hectares)
Based on the 2025 outcomes, the report projects the impact of expanding to 500 hectares in 2026:
- Across plots with full yield data, results showed an average yield uplift around 18%, equating to about €1,594/hectare additional income and ~€797,000 additional revenue at 500 hectares.
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- A conservative headline in the summary also references an “average” additional income figure (context-dependent by site and stress level).
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The takeaway: returns vary by field pressure when stress hits, the value grows. That’s exactly the kind of upside growers and processors want in a climate-volatile reality.
Why this partnership matters
The AGRAZ × Salicrop collaboration demonstrates something bigger than one season:
- Field-validated performance across multiple plots
- Improved yield and/or quality depending on site conditions
- Reduced losses (critical for profitability)
- Independent verification via remote sensing and digital monitoring
This is how climate resilience becomes a practical business tool: measurable, scalable, and tied to ROI per hectare.
Work with Salicrop
If you’re a grower, processor, or seed/field partner looking to stabilize processing tomato performance under increasing heat and variability, we’d love to talk.
Contact: contact@salicrop.com
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