Desempenho agronômico de tomate tipo grape e italiano em sistema orgânico sob cultivo protegido e a campo

Abstract

The tomato is a globally important vegetable crop whose production has benefited from the development of protected cultivation technologies and the growing demand for organic production systems. This study aimed to compare the productive performance and economic feasibility of two organic tomato cultivars, Italian and grape types, grown under two cultivation conditions: open field and protected environment. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with two cultivation environments and seven replicates, using the cultivars ‘Grazianni’, an Italian-type tomato, and ‘Sweet Heaven’, a grape-type tomato. Plant height, stem diameter, and the numbers of leaves, flowers, and fruits were evaluated at different phenological stages: vegetative growth, onset of flowering, full flowering, onset of fruit development, fruit ripening, and harvest maturity. Economic feasibility was assessed using the contribution margin (CM) and break-even point (BEP) indicators. Protected cultivation resulted in better performance in the biometric characteristics of both cultivars. Regarding total yield, the cultivar ‘Grazianni’ produced 5.98 kg m−2 under protected cultivation and 1.89 kg m−2 in the open field, whereas ‘Sweet Heaven’ achieved 2.59 kg m−2 and 0.98 kg m−2, respectively. Under protected cultivation, the weighted contribution margin accounted for 71.47% of total revenue, indicating that this percentage remained available to cover fixed costs after variable costs had been deducted. In the open field, the total contribution margin was negative, making it impossible to calculate the break-even point. Under protected cultivation, the financial break-even point was estimated at 341 kg of tomatoes, comprising 238 kg of the ‘Grazianni’ cultivar and 103 kg of the ‘Sweet Heaven’ cultivar. Total greenhouse production was approximately 900 kg, equivalent to 2.64 times the volume required to reach the break-even point. The results demonstrate the greater production potential of protected cultivation and highlight the importance of economic analysis in assessing the feasibility of organic tomato production.