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FIELD RESEARCH: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN

CONVENTIONAL, ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE METHODS OF
TOMATO PRODUCTION

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

MAZZEI, João Roberto Fortes 1, FREIRE, Estevão 2, SERRA, Eduardo Gonçalves 3,

MACEDO, José Ronaldo de 4, OLIVEIRA, Angélica Castanheira de 5, BASTOS, Lucia
Helena Pinto 6, CARDOSO, Maria Helena Wohlers Morelli 7

MAZZEI, João Roberto Fortes. Et al. Field research: A comparative analysis

between conventional, organic and sustainable methods of tomato production.
Revista Científica Multidisciplinar Núcleo do Conhecimento. Year 06, Ed. 02, Vol. 05,
pp. 125-146. February 2021. ISSN: 2448-0959, Access link:
https://www.nucleodoconhecimento.com.br/environmental-engineering-en/tomato-
production, DOI: 10.32749/nucleodoconhecimento.com.br/environmental-
engineering-en/tomato-production

ABSTRACT

Agriculture represents one of the main pillars of the Brazilian economy, its importance
being related to food security and the generation of job opportunities. However, it is
necessary to have a critical reflection on the sustainability of planting. Among the

1
Doctor in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro/ Polytechnic
School of Chemistry/ Environmental Engineering Program (UFRJ/POLI/PEA); Master in Environmental Science
and Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro/ Polytechnic School of Chemistry/ Environmental
Engineering Program (UFRJ/POLI/PEA); Specialization in Chemistry Teaching (FIJ); Degree in Licentiate in
Chemistry from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).
2
Advisor. PhD in Engineering from the Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program at the Federal
University of Rio Grande do Sul.
3
Advisor. PhD in Ocean Engineering from Coppe / UFRJ; Associate Professor at the Polytechnic School of the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and Pro-Rector of Undergraduate Studies at UFRJ.
4
Advisor. PhD in Sciences by the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / CENA - University of São Paulo
(USP).
5
Master in health surveillance in health (FIOCRUZ / INCQS).
6
PhD in Health Surveillance in Health (FIOCRUZ / INCQS).
7
PhD in Health Surveillance in Health (FIOCRUZ / INCQS).

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different types of crops, tomatoes stood out as one of the most planted and consumed
fruits in the world. This article provides a comparative assessment between three types
of tomato planting: conventional, organic and sustainable (TOMATEC®), from soil
preparation to commercialization on the market. The work was carried out in the north
of the state of Rio de Janeiro, together with groups that produce the fruit in these three
types of planting. The methodology was based on an unstructured questionnaire, with
free responses, applied to farmers in the region. We believe that this study will
contribute to the orientation of society through data obtained from serious information
processing criteria. The main results showed, through the sustainable planting system
of EMBRAPA (innovation), that it is possible to use pesticides with environmental
awareness and produce fruit free of residues. Diseases, in the conventional system,
are controlled by the application of fungicides and bactericides. In sustainable planting,
a mixture of homemade detergent with soy oil, Bordeaux mixture, cow's milk, contact
fungicides and systemic fungicides is used, and in the organic production system, it is
common not to let the disease settle in the plant, through preventive control of soil
preparation and protection. In pest control, the conventional system performs the
application of insecticides composed of various active principles. In the organic
system, the control of insects is privileged by balancing the soil, with this, the plants
acquire greater resistance to diseases and pests. In the sustainable system, there is
no preventive treatment, but curative. Market fruit prices for conventional planting
fluctuate and depend on supply, while tomatoes from organic and sustainable systems
do not fluctuate. Organic production does not have the installed capacity to meet
market demands. With this, the sustainable system has been gaining space in the
market and expanding in the Southeast and South of the country.

Keywords: Agriculture, tomato, competitiveness, planting systems.

INTRODUCTION

The environmental crisis in the current world is characterized, among other factors, by
the growing process of global warming, generated by the huge and increasing volume
of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases, by the degradation of biotic and abiotic

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systems, by deforestation, by high volume of harmful liquid effluents discharged into

the waters and the depletion of renewable and non-renewable natural resources
(WHATELY, 2016).

The world population reached 7.7 billion in mid-2019, seeing growth of one billion
people since 2007 and, according to estimates, is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050
(UN, 2020).

The high losses suffered by agriculture due to the infestation of pests and weeds, in
addition to diseases and soil wear, make it necessary to use pesticides in production.
For these and other factors, the use of pesticides must be carried out in a rational
manner, since the indiscriminate use of these products can cause negative impacts on
the environment, harming the health of workers and consumers who directly and / or
indirectly handle such substances (CARNEIRO, 2015).

Agricultural production in Brazil is dominated by the large-scale production model, with

intense mechanization on the properties and which use high volumes of pesticides.
The use of sustainable agriculture, as exposed in this work, is a proposal for a solution
for soil degradation that can be systematic, if adopted on a large scale, either by the
action of markets or by state regulation (BACCARIN, 2020).

According to Araujo (2018), tomatoes are one of the main products planted and
commercialized by world agriculture. The author comments that, due to the easy
adaptation to the different types of soil and the climate, the tomato culture is one of the
most widespread in the world.

In 2017, world tomato production totaled 170.8 million tons, with China, the world's
leading tomato producer, accounting for 31% of total production, followed by India and
the United States (NAG, 2017).

In order to meet the demands of the markets, the use of pesticides in tomato
plantations is becoming increasingly greater and the residues of these chemicals are

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one of the biggest problems of this food on the table of the final consumer and planters
(ESALQ, 2017).

In Brazil, ANVISA references (2018) authorize 500 active ingredients for application in
agriculture. Of this amount, 119 pesticides are used in planting tomatoes, and the same
active ingredient can be marketed under the labeling of many formulations and trade
names, in addition to mixtures containing more than one active ingredient in the same
product (BRAIBANTE, 2012).

According to SEMACE (2014), Brazil has 1,454 pesticide brands available, including
insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides, fumigants and other organic
compounds, in addition to growth regulators, defoliants and desiccants.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA, 2019), the Brazilian government

authorized the release of 63 more pesticides in September 2019, seven new ones and
the total number of registrations in 2019 reaches 325 pesticides, an increase in release
in the year that it is already the highest in the history of pesticides in the country.

According to the National Union of Plant Protection Products Industry (SINDIVEG), in

2019, approximately R$ 21 billion were financed for purchases of pesticides, in lines
of credit for rural producers. The agency mentions that 5,000 direct jobs were
generated and around 15,000 indirect beneficiaries. R$ 354 million was invested in
fixed assets, research and development, in addition to the collection of R$ 548 million
between federal, state, municipal taxes and regulatory fees. These data reinforce
Brazil's monoculture export characteristic, in which about 75% of the total of pesticides
imported by the country are destined for only three agricultural crops.

According to Mazzei (2021), the use of pesticides can generate impacts on human
health and the environment, which can lead to possible soil contamination. The author
cites the sustainable system (TOMATEC® - unconventional production by EMBRAPA),
as a highly successful alternative in reducing the socioenvironmental impacts
generated by the current tomato production model. However, according to the
research, as it is a relatively new system, there are still no studies comparing the three

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systems. Thus, this work aimed to make such comparisons and started from the
following premises:

• Conventional planting with intensive use of pesticides may not be

environmentally friendly;
• In comparison with the organic system, the sustainable system provides greater
production volume, greater flexibility of use and complies with the legislation.

The research methodology for the validation of the hypotheses was of the descriptive-
exploratory type with the application of a questionnaire for tomato farmers in each
region where the soil samples were collected.

Carvalho (2016) carried out a similar study, comparing the use of pesticides and the
management of tomato crops in the municipality of Cambuci for conventional and
organic plantations. The objective of the study was to know details about planting in
both systems, from sowing to harvesting the fruits. The author applied a questionnaire
of the unstructured type, with free answers.

This study retrieved data from Carvalho's research (2016), however with the inclusion
of sustainable planting. The survey was carried out by applying a questionnaire of the
unstructured type, with free responses, and was carried out between January 17 and
22, 2020.

The research was applied to seven plantations in the metropolitan regions (municipality
of Tanguá - Mutuapira district and São Gonçalo - Monjolos district); Serrana
(Municipality of Trajano de Moraes - district of Tirol) and Nova Friburgo (Três Picos -
3rd District), regions representing the three types of tomato cultivation (conventional,
sustainable and organic system) in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

THE TOMATO CULTURE

Tomato is a vegetable widely consumed "in natura", usually in salads, sauces and
sandwiches. Tomato planting is subject to attack by pests and diseases.

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The whitefly is one of the main pests that affect this fruit, with Bemisia argentifolii and
Bemisia tabaci, the two main species of whitefly responsible for damage to tomato
cultivation. Morphologically, there is no difference between the two species. However,
the former is significantly more aggressive, since it has a higher reproduction rate,
affects a greater number of host plants and manages to complete its entire life cycle in
tomatoes, in addition to being highly resistant to adverse environmental conditions and
some conventional pesticides. (ESALQ, 2017).

Insecticides and fungicides are the products most used by the farmer when planting
tomatoes, due to the disease called late blight, caused by the insect, Phytophthora
infestans, which is harmful to this crop. For this reason, chemical control constitutes
about 30% of the production costs of the crop. Late blight is still a difficult disease to
control, even with the use of fungicides with a wide spectrum of action (FIORINI, 2010).

Payer (2010) carried out studies on the tomato moth - Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lep .:
Gelechiidae) and mentions that the pest attacks several types of solanaceae,
preferably tomato. The author comments that the peak of pest infestation occurs in the
first days after planting and coincides with the driest months of the year, noting that,
although the tomato grows all year, the wettest period reduces the pest population .

Moreira (2013) reinforces the information that the tomato moth has its peak of
infestation during the months of January and February. The author adds that the life
cycle of the tomato moth is 38 days and that the egg phase lasts between three and
six days, with the eggs being deposited on the stems, flowers, fruits and leaves of the
upper part of the plant.

In his research, Carvalho (2016), informs that about 60% of the farmers make up to
two applications of pesticides weekly. According to the work, farmers describe that if
diseases arise or the weather is rainy, there is a need for a greater number of
applications, which can reach three times a week. Also according to this work, the most
cited insecticide brands were: Verimec (89.47%), Actara (82.46%) and Karate
(75.44%). The first two are classified as moderately toxic and the third as highly toxic.

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PLANTING SYSTEMS STUDIED

CONVENTIONAL TOMATO PLANTING SYSTEM

Nascimento (2013) notes that due to the great demand for the fruit, the need for large-
scale production and the great sensitivity of the tomato to the attack of pests, diseases
and weeds, to avoid losses in cultivation, conventional tomato production ends up
being based in the use of synthetic chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers). The
author mentions that this causes serious problems of public health and environmental
contamination, above all, of water resources.

Santiago (2014), comparing conventional and organic agriculture, points out that the
biological control of the tomato moth in organic agriculture is done with Trichogramma
pretiosum Riley (Hym .: Trichogrammatidae). However, in conventional agriculture,
due to the need for immediacy and high productivity, the purely biological defense does
not show good performance, and it is necessary to resort to the application of
pesticides.

Few farmers have considered natural biological control by conserving natural enemies
in conventional agriculture (EHLERS, 2017).

Payer (2011) comments that biological control is more effective when adopted in the
egg phase, because, in this way, the probability of losses in planting is attenuated.

ORGANIC TOMATO PRODUCTION SYSTEM

According to Alves (2012), organic agriculture consists of a set of agricultural

production processes based on the premise that fertility is a direct function of the
organic matter present in the soil. It is a planting system that does not use pesticides
and has been expanding all over the world, with Brazil occupying the second position
in Latin America in organic production. However, for Alvarenga (2013), organic
production has no installed capacity to meet production demands and the population's
needs, since diseases and pests limit the expansion of cultivation in this system.

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The action of microorganisms in the substances present or added to the soil of organic
planting provides the supply of mineral and chemical elements fundamental to the
development of cultivated vegetables. In addition, the presence of a microbial
population attenuates the interference from human intervention in the environment.
Thus, organic agriculture is a form of cultivation that establishes good practices for the
formation of environmentally balanced and friendly agricultural systems, economically
productive and of high efficiency. In the organic system, adequate food and a healthy
environment result in more vigorous plants that are more resistant to pests and
diseases, eliminating the use of other resources, such as the use of pesticides and
chemical fertilizers (NASCIMENTO, 2013).

Wives (2015) comments that organic agriculture aims to work in such a way that
ecological interactions and synergy between them act on soil fertility. According to the
author, the conditions of humidity and aeration, together with the balance of the
environment are the factors that determine the survival and maintenance of these
micro-organisms, allowing their use as agents of protection and soil preservation. For
this reason, one of the main aspects considered in organic crops is the introduction
and maintenance of microorganisms in the soil, in order to maintain the conditions
conducive to biological transformation.

Bastian (2018) suggests that to be considered organic, planting must start in new
facilities and be limited to the use of soils that have never been explored before.
However, the suggestion goes against the very principles postulated by organic
production, since planting in new lands would promote deforestation and lead to
environmental imbalances. Thus, the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic
management is the recommended process, even though it needs more time to
consolidate and is more costly.

Normative Instruction 007/2016, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply

(MAPA, 2016), in its item 1.1, considers as

organic agricultural and industrial production system any one in which

technologies are adopted that optimize the use of natural and

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socioeconomic resources, respecting cultural integrity and aiming at

self-sustainability in time and space, maximizing social benefits,
minimizing dependency non-renewable energies and the elimination of
the use of pesticides and other toxic artificial inputs, genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) / transgenics or ionizing radiation at any
stage of the production, storage and consumption process, privileging
the preservation of environmental and human health, ensuring
transparency at all stages of production and processing.

INNOVATION - SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM - SPD (TOMATEC)

According to Vieira (2014), a planting system that contemplates environmentally

friendly production and that meets the market needs for tomatoes has not yet emerged.

An alternative form of cultivation for planting tomatoes emerged after research by

Embrapa Solos and consists of the production of tomatoes in sustainable cultivation.
The system is based on the implementation of soil and water conservation techniques,
with a no-tillage system on straw (SPD - no-tillage system), which is planting without
soil overturning (MACEDO, 2016).

The SPD aims to maintain the soil throughout the year, taking advantage of the
biodiversity of the plants in development (grasses), which are responsible for covering
the soil, or with aerial parts and / or with their residues (dead straws) and living roots.

In this planting system, Macedo (2016) highlights the differentials that allow the
production of tomatoes in a sustainable way and at scales much higher than that
offered by organic production, which are: conservationist soil planning, drip irrigation
and fertilization through irrigation water itself (fertigation), in addition to the use of
ribbons for the vertical orientation of plant growth, promoting air circulation and
facilitating budding; integrated pest management (IPM), as a way of monitoring crop
pests and diseases. The SPD adopts the physical protection of the fruits, carried out
by bagging the tomato clusters with glassyne paper or granapel (Figures 1 and 2),
which allows a significant reduction in the use of pesticides in tomato crops. According
to the author, these allied factors promote a significant reduction in the number of

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pesticide applications in the plantation and make it possible to obtain a fruit without
pesticide residues and, thus, add value to the product.

The philosophy of this planting method is based on the change of posture and
environmental awareness of farmers, in which exclusively manual routines are
replaced by technical activities of observation and monitoring of plant growth. In this
way, the energy expenditure in the digging and staking stages during the conduction
of the crop is replaced by the gain in quality of control of the plantation with the
integrated management of pests and the bagging of the fruits. According to the author,
the results are fruits of a high level of quality and production that can compete with the
results of conventional planting.

Figure 1 - Bagging the tomato bunches with glassyne paper or granapel - Right time
for bagging

Photo: Adoildo da Silva Melo

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Figure 2 - Tomato bagging technique

Photo: Adoildo da Silva Melo

The system has already had its fruits validated by the INCQS / FIOCRUZ laboratory
regarding the maximum residue limit recommended by ANVISA.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the questionnaire answered by the farmers, it was possible to know details
about planting in the three systems, from sowing to the market situation of the fruits.
The answers obtained to the applied questionnaire are discussed below and,
depending on the case, opposed to the literature.

TREATMENT OF SEEDLINGS

In conventional tomato planting, pesticides are applied three to four times a week in
the hottest seasons of the year (spring and summer) and, in the coldest seasons

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(autumn and winter), between one and two times. In the organic system, sprays are
made with Bordeaux mixture only when necessary. The sustainable system, on the
other hand, uses a mixture of biological control, Bordeaux mixture, bagging,
insecticides and fungicides, in quantities up to ten times smaller than those used in
conventional planting.

SUBSTRATE USED

In the conventional system, substrates are used, especially products based on

recycled organic waste. In the organic system, a commercial substrate suitable for
certified organic planting is applied and 20% earthworm humus is added. In the
sustainable system, coconut substrate, fertilization with organic residues (manure) and
chemical fertilization are used.

PEST CONTROL METHODS

In the conventional system, the preventive application of insecticides formulated from

different active principles (Permethrin, Fenpropatrin, Phosphorus Aphosphate,
Phosphorus Paration Methyl, Biological, Physiological Clorfluazuron) is carried out,
with frequency that, depending on the period of the year, can reach up to one
application per week in the winter, reaching three in the summer. In the organic system,
the control of insects is privileged through the balance of the soil, which allows the
plants to have balanced nutrition and, with this, acquiring greater resistance to pests.
Biological control methods based on Trichogramma pretiosum, biological insecticides
based on Bacillus thurigiensis extracts (bacteria harmful to insects), are also applied
in the organic system; sulfur, for controlling mites; pheromones of sexual attraction that
confuse insects and prevent them from mating with their partners and extract of neem
(plant that repels insects). The last two are only applied in case of high infestation in
the organic system.

In the organic system, plants are grown that attract pest insects and their predators.
These plants are strategically placed outside the greenhouse. In the sustainable

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system, there is no preventive treatment, but a curative one, such as: neem extract,
detergent with soy oil to treat the whitefly and insecticides (only in extreme cases),
since the plant is protected by bagging since flowering and the involvement of pests is
less.

DISEASE CONTROL METHODS

In the conventional system, disease control is carried out using fungicides and
bactericides. In the organic production system, it is common not to let the disease settle
in the plant and, for this, preventive control is done through the preparation and
protection of the soil. According to the planters of this system, only in rare cases,
disease control is done with the application of Bordeaux mixture. In sustainable
planting, a mixture of homemade detergent with soy oil, Bordeaux mixture, cow's milk,
contact fungicides and systemic fungicides is used.

WEATHER CONTROL METHODS

Many herbicides are registered and used in tomato planting using the conventional
system. In the organic system, plants called weeds are used, depending on the case,
as partner plants and coexist among tomato plants, helping to protect the soil from
erosion and the impact of water droplets. Weeds still function as indicators of soil
conditions, such as pH, nutritional deficiencies, among others, supporting the supply
of organic matter. Thus, the organic system uses only manual weeding, in order to
avoid competition for light. In the conventional system, the straw distributed by the
plantation has the objective of inhibiting weeds and controlling humidity.

CULTIVATION

Both in the organic and conventional systems, the treatment of the crop involves the
elimination of shoots from the grafts, reduction of the excessive number of fruits per
clump (creation of a space that allows greater growth, increasing the size of the fruits),
orientation of the growth of the plants. plants through cuttings (crossed or parallel),

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pruning of the extremities to strengthen the growth and robustness of the plants and
removal of the protection rods of the tubers.

In the organic system, conduction with two stems produced more fruits, when
compared with conduction with one stem, with a greater number of fruits and with better
quality per plant. In the sustainable system, conduction tapes with one plant and two
rods are used, which allows greater aeration of the system and less need for pesticide
application.

In the sustainable system, the treatment of the crop is carried out with a mix of the
techniques adopted in conventional and organic planting, that is, based on sprouting;
grating, clump, weeding and mulching with grass from the site itself. However, the
system brings as a great advantage the staking with strips for conducting the plant,
integrated pest management (MIP), which serves as an indicator of differential control;
bagging of the hands with glassyne paper and granapel and fertigation.

WORKPLACE USED

Conventional cultivation requires fewer workers per hectare than the other two
cropping systems. A single worker can manage 3000 plants in this system. In the
organic system, there is a need for one worker for every 1000 plants and in the
sustainable system, a worker for 2000 thousand plants. The higher number of people
involved in the organic and sustainable systems is due to the treatment steps, such as
preparing the syrups, the organic compost, the mulch and the weeding (performed
manually), which, in general, are not adopted by the conventional system.

FERTILIZING

Fertilization in the conventional system is carried out with high solubility chemical
fertilizers (nitrogen-phosphorus and potassium), superphosphates and organomineral
fertilizers. In organic production, fertilizers of lower solubility and with high
concentrations of organic matter are produced using vermiculites, crushing rice, wheat

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and calcium carbonate, among other micronutrients. According to the farmers, organic
fertilization, prepared by composting solid bovine excrement, provides the production
of plants with determined growth and fruit productivity comparable to that obtained with
the addition of mineral fertilizer.

According to the farmers' responses, tomatoes grown in the organic system developed
more than plants in which conventional fertilization was applied. The fertilization of the
sustainable system based on urea, potassium chloride and monoammonium
phosphate (MAP) enabled the production of fruits comparable to that produced by the
organic system and with the highest number of fruits per plant.

PRODUCTIVITY

Conventional planting has its production influenced by climatic seasons. According to

farmers, in summer, the average production is 3 to 4 kg per plant, while in winter,
productivity is approximately 5 kg per plant. In the organic system, productivity is 4 kg
per plant (in greenhouse) and does not reach 2 kg per plant (in open plantation). In the
research, it was noticed that sustainable planting achieves greater numbers of fruits
per plant and with greater production constancy among the three crops, revolving
around 6 to 8 kg per plant throughout the year and with the same weekly harvesting
frequency.

PRICE ACHIEVED

Tomatoes originating in the conventional system have a price fluctuation according to

supply: in winter, the period of greatest production, prices are lower, due to the greater
supply, than in summer, with an average price of around R$ 2.00 to 3.00 per kg. The
prices of organic tomatoes do not show great fluctuations in the market, remaining
around R $ 9.00 in the summer and R$ 10.00 in the winter. However, the market for
this fruit is much smaller. Sustainable planting, on the other hand, has a stable price
throughout the year, as a result of its constant harvest throughout the period, with
values ranging from R$ 5.00 to 7.00 / kg.

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MARKETPLACE

The planters of the conventional system replied that there are many possibilities for
the disposal of their products. In addition to CEASA, supermarket chains,
greengrocers, warehouses and others that absorb all production. In the organic
system, the planters commented that it is more difficult to dispose of the products and
that, in general, the planters themselves establish a small “small shop” (greengrocer),
where they sell part of the production and count on the help of distributors of products
of the kind , who are your biggest customers. The sustainable system has been gaining
space in the market, expanding in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and
Paraná, in partnership with supermarket chains.

ECONOMIC ASPECTS

According to the survey, spending on tomatoes is high and exceeds R$ 120 thousand
per hectare, which corresponds to about R$ 40.00 per box containing 23 kg.

In Brazil, the cost of fruit production is directly linked to the cost invested in inputs,
labor and land quality, so that the economic analysis must be adjusted according to
the costs in each state. The average expenditure points to high amounts of inputs,
which are around 17 tons of fertilizers per hectare, which corresponds to 12% of the
production cost, which together with the cost of pesticides add up to 21% of the
production cost of the product. conventional tomato.

Based on the research carried out with farmers and based on the studies by Carvalho,
2016, it was possible to elaborate table 1, which presents the comparative study
between the three systems.

Table 1 - Comparison of the agronomic aspects of conventional, organic and

sustainable tomato production systems, February 2020

Source: Agronomic Aspects Cultivation System

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Conventional Organic Sustainable

Crop Rotation Yes Eventually Yes
Soil management and · Plowing · Restriction Preparation of
preparation of roots every the soil for
· Grating
two cycles limestone
incorporation
· Grooving
· Surface
incorporation Prayer

· Mulch Grating
Time to prepare a planting Immediate Immediate Immediate
Cultivars used Colorado, Sta. Jane, Letícia, Aleka 1, Aleka
Clara, Carmem, Raíssa, 2,Onofre,
Olimpus, Débora, Lucineia,
Séculos, Delta, Kada, Margareth,
Débora, Letícia Grupo Sta. Alexandre e
Cruz, Hiran
Cerejinha
Seeds used Peliculate Peliculate Peliculate
Obtaining seedlings Own Own It is
recommended
that seedlings
be made in
specialized
greenhouses
Planting season Whole year Whole year Whole year
Transplantation Time 20-35 days 20-35 days 20-30 days
Seedling treatment · Insecticides Bordeaux Mixed
mixture (Biological
· Fungicides
Control +
Bordeaux

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mixture +
Bagging +
Insecticides
and
Fungicides)
Substrate used Commercial · Commercial, · Coconut
suitable for Substrate
organic
· Fertilization
· 20% with organic
Earthworm residues
humus (manure)

· Chemical
Fertilizer
Control of infested plants Herbicides Manual · Manual
weeding weeding

· Herbicide

· Brush cutter
at the end of
the cycle
Disease control · Mancozeb · Soil balance · Curative
fungicide products
· Bordeaux
· Strubirulin mixture · Bordeaux
Fungicide mixture

· Dimetomorfe · Soybean oil

fungicide detergent

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· Kasugamicide · Cow milk

bactericide
· Contact
· Bactericide fungicide

· Terramycin · Systemic
fungicide

Pest control Insecticides: · Soil balance Healing

products
· Permethrin · Natural
enemies · Neem
· Fenpropatrin
Extract
pyrethroid · Biological
Insecticide · Soybean oil
· Phosphorus
detergent
Aphosphate · Pheromones
· Insecticides
· Phosphorated · Neem
Paration Methyl Extract

· Biological · Sulfur
Times of greatest problems December to December to · In Winter:
February February Blight

· In summer:
Anthracnose

· Black Paint
Cultivation · Sprouts · Sprouts · Sprouts

· Hand grating · Hand grating · Hand grating

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· Tutoring · Tutoring · Tutoring

· Heap · Heap · Heap

· Weeding · Weeding

· Ground · Ground
cover (local cover (local
grasses) grasses)

· MIP
(differential
control
indication)

· Bagging of
the clasps
with Glassyne
and Granapel

· Fertigation
Labor used 1 person / 3000 1 person / 1 person /
plants 1000 plants 2000 plants
Driving system two stems per two stems per · Driving strips
plant plant
· Two stems
per plant
Fertilizing · N-P-K 4-14-8· · Castor Pie · Urea
Simple
· Wheat or · Potassium
superphosphate
rice bran chloride

· MB 4 (silica)

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· Commercial · Shell · MAP

organic limestone (Monoamonic
compost Phosphate)
· Fish's flour

·
Micronutrients
Harvest Start 100-115 days 100-115 days 110-115 days
Harvest frequency · Summer: 3 · Summer: 3 · Summer: 3
times / week times / week times / week

· Winter: 2 times · Winter: 2 · Winter: 2

/ week times / week times / week
Productivity · Summer 3.4 In · Summer 6 to
kg per plant greenhouse: 8 kg per plant
4 kg per plant
· Winter: 4 kg · Winter: 6 to 8
per plant Open: <2 kg kg per plant
per plant
Price reached · Summer: R $ R $ 2.00 to R $ 4.5 to 6.00
9.00 / kg· 3.00 / kg / kg
Winter: R $
10.00 / kg
Marketplace · CEASA · Prod. · South Zone
Distributors Supermarkets
· Large
Organic
supermarkets · Mufatto
· Own Supermarkets
greengrocer
. Sandra
Honda Market
Network

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Source: Adapted from Carvalho (2016) - Research carried out in the field by the
authors, 2020

CONCLUSION

The comparative study between the three types of planting, allowed to observe that
the organic production, to guarantee fruits free of pesticides, is very laborious and
expensive for the producer and, for this reason, it presents higher market prices.
According to its farmers, “you can live”, it brings normal profits. When asked what it is
like to “give for a living”, almost unanimously replied: “guarantee the next harvest and
the daily food”.

Farmers cited that a good advantage of the organic system is that, even at higher
prices, the consumer who buys organic tomatoes does not fail to do so. Consumers of
organic tomatoes do not even contest the fruits with different shapes and colors than
those commonly seen on the market and, usually, they are even willing to pay more
for the fruits.

The share of the final price of conventional tomato production was distributed as
follows: 23% for the producer, 5% for wholesale and 73% for retail. According to the
report, since the producer's share of the final price in 2014 and 2015 represented 30%,
the remainder (70%) was distributed between wholesale (5%) and retail (65%).

In the conventional system, the fruits have higher levels of pesticides than in the
organic and sustainable, however, the concentrations are within the recommended by
the monographs authorized by ANVISA. With regard to price, on tomatoes produced
by the conventional system, there is the weight of society's mistrust regarding the
levels of pesticides, which makes prices lower in the market. With expenditures
between inputs and pesticides close to 21%, profit is also affected in this system.
Farmers in the sustainable system (TOMATEC) with the lowest use of inputs
(especially pesticides), the technical guidance provided by EMBRAPA and pesticide-
free fruits with laboratory certification by the National Institute of Health Quality

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(FIOCRUZ) won better prices (intermediaries between previous plantings), enabling

greater aggregate profit and acceptance in expansion in the market.

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