In recent years, organic tomato growers have been struggling with root-knot nematodes in their crops. The new Sanaterra rootstock from Takii is giving growers an effective tool to control these pests, even under high temperatures. “Thanks to Sanaterra, we’ve regained the confidence to continue growing organic tomatoes in the future,” says Sjaak van Spronsen of Viridis Eco (formerly Tabos Eco), an organic vegetable grower on Voorne-Putten in the Netherlands since 2014.
For years, the nematodes caused major headaches at the company. “They puncture the roots, leaving them damaged and unable to produce fine root hairs. This severely reduces the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients, especially in warm weather. For us, that meant yield losses of 15 to 20 percent,” Sjaak explains in a video.
The pressure from root-knot nematodes became so severe that Viridis Eco was forced to stop growing organic truss tomatoes altogether. Last year, they cautiously ran a small trial on just a few gutters. The results were so positive that this year, with the help of Takii’s new rootstock, they’ve once again planted their entire greenhouse with truss tomatoes. “Right from the start of the trials, we saw that these roots stayed clean, while the rest of the greenhouse was suffering from heavy nematode pressure. For us, it’s been a real breakthrough, and we’re absolutely thrilled,” Sjaak says.
© Takii Europe
Left Sanaterra compared to a comparative variety with affected roots
The experience of Viridis Eco is far from unique. After successful trials in 2024, most organic tomato growers in the Netherlands switched to Takii’s new rootstock, and many colleagues in Germany, Switzerland, and France followed within a year. “Some growers who had never even seen Sanaterra went all in straight away,” says Chris Matthijsse, Head of Sales Vegetables North-West EU at Takii.
For Takii, this rapid adoption came with a sense of responsibility. “This year was the real test. But after last year’s trial results, we had confidence in the rootstock. Now, as we near the end of the season, the feedback from growers only confirms that confidence. Normally, production drops after summer and nematode pressure gets worse. With Sanaterra, that decline simply doesn’t happen. That’s the beauty and strength of plant breeding: providing growers and the market with solutions through new genetics. It also opens doors, since propagators themselves are now actively recommending this rootstock to their customers.”
Sanaterra is not just another rootstock. “It’s been specifically developed to tackle nematode resistance in an innovative way,” Chris explains. “With this approach, we’ve managed to achieve much stronger resistance that holds up even at temperatures above 28°C.”
Chris also sees opportunities beyond tomatoes. “Now that Sanaterra has firmly established itself, we can shine a brighter spotlight on our broader rootstock portfolio. Rootstocks have been part of Takii’s DNA for decades. Few people know that grafting in fruiting vegetables was first developed in Japan about a century ago, with Takii among the pioneers. Today, we offer a wide range of rootstocks for tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, melon, and watermelon. They are used worldwide to help growers maximize production, even under challenging conditions. At the same time, they reduce the need for chemical inputs and make cultivation more sustainable and reliable.”
For more information:
Chris Matthijsse
Takii Europe
Hoofdweg 19
1424 PC De Kwakel
[email protected]
https://takii.eu/products/roto-sanaterra-td-33-f1/