Northern San Joaquin Valley Processing Tomato Production Meeting

February 11, 2026 | 8:00 - 11:30am (THIS Wednesday!)

Hutchins Street Square, 125 S Hutchins St., Lodi, CA 95240

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) Requested from DPR

Weekly Webinars on Building Soil Health - February 11, 18, and 25

These Noon - 1:15pm scheduled talks to cover: Fertility, Soil Amendments and Cover Crops.

Vegetable Crops Research Update at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center

March 2, 2026 | 9:00am - 1:30pm

17353 West Oakland Ave., Five Points, CA 93624

Agenda to Follow

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) Requested from DPR

Directly following the meeting: CDFA Broomrape Program update and discussion, lunch provided.

Vegetable Info Newsletter February 2026 Highlights:



• Presentations from the January 2026 Sac Valley Processing Tomato Production Meeting: [Link]
• Broomrape Sanitation Reminder (See below)
• Root-Knot Nematode Study Update (See below)
• Updated list - Varietal Tolerance to FRD (See below)
• Chemigated Matrix - Potential Impact on Bindweed (Page 7)
• ...Much MORE in the full newsletter

Resistance-breaking Root-Knot Nematodes are Out There - Be Prepared

Field notes from recent work, led by Patricia Lazicki:

• Assume resistance is broken. Mi-gene varieties continue to support nematode reproduction. This reinforces prior CTRI-funded and UC work showing resistance-breaking strains are widespread.
• Nematodes make Fusarium worse. Combined infections increased disease severity and reduced plant growth, even in Fusarium-resistant varieties. Co-management matters.
• Variety choice won’t save you. Differences among Mi-gene cultivars were inconsistent and isolate-dependent. Field outcomes are driven more by the nematode population than the tomato.
• Non-fumigant tools can reduce losses, with context. Multiple non-fumigant nematicides have shown value in different situations. In a 2025 Dixon field trial, Salibro increased yields by ~11 t/a, likely by delaying symptom onset. Other materials in this class have shown benefits under different pressures and timings, reinforcing that product choice should be matched to field history and the overall pest complex, not viewed as interchangeable or universally effective.

Bottom line:

Expect resistance-breaking RKN in many fields. Manage nematodes and Fusarium together where they overlap, match nematicide tools to pressure and timing, and leverage sanitation programs for use across challenges (broomrape/fusarium/nematode).

In December, CTRI held its Annual Research Meeting to review ongoing work and discuss research priorities heading into the 2026 funding cycle.

Materials from the meeting are available to anyone interested:

• Annual Research Meeting slide decks: [Link] Tip: on page 1, click a presentation title in the speaker schedule to jump directly to that presentation.

• 2025 CTRI Research Overview [Link]

We'll continue to share updates as this research translates into practical insights for the industry in 2026.

We build durable coalitions around the questions whose answers drive the long term success of the California processing tomato industry. Founded in 1968, the CTRI is a non-profit organization of processing tomato growers.