Tomato growers opt again for Macxize XR in lit cultivation
“Generative grower with high production”
Growers in the Netherlands are once again turning to Macxize XR, a beefsteak tomato variety from breeding company Axia, for their supplemental-light crops. In Dinteloord, growers Lans and Alvonto are growing the variety for a third consecutive season under lighting, with Vincent van der Lans and Tobias Wieman having built up detailed knowledge of how to get the most out of it.
According to Axia, growers particularly value Macxize XR for its production level. In both lit and unlit crops, the variety has shown it can deliver stable, long-term yields. With commercial yields exceeding 100 kg per square meter, Macxize XR ranks among the more productive varieties in the beefsteak tomato segment.
Winter kilos
Both Lans and Alvonto, tomato growers based in Dinteloord, chose the variety three years ago. “At the time, resistance to ToBRFV was the main reason we chose this variety,” says Vincent.
Lans is growing Macxize XR on 21.5 hectares this coming season. Over the past few seasons, the grower, who oversees cultivation across all Lans locations, has found the variety performs well, delivering strong winter yields. “In winter, we can produce two to three kilos more per square meter than with other varieties. It grows quickly during the winter months and converts light efficiently into production.”
A strong grower
Tobias Wieman, who grows 9.6 hectares of Macxize XR nearby in Dinteloord on behalf of Alvonto, agrees. “It’s a variety with real production potential.”
At Alvonto, the variety is grown under full LED lighting at 300 micromol. Even with supplemental lighting, natural light remains important during the winter crop. As soon as sunlight enters the greenhouse, the Axia variety converts it efficiently into production, Tobias notes. “If you steer the crop generatively in the right way, it becomes a strong grower after that.”
Learning and optimizing
Both growers say that switching to a new variety requires an initial learning curve, growers need to get to know how a variety behaves in their own greenhouse. “The second year already went better than the first,” says Vincent. “Every year, you fine-tune the cultivation a bit further.” Tobias keeps a logbook of his observations throughout the season, which helps him spot patterns, particularly now that he has grown the same variety for several years running.
Lans grows Macxize XR in two greenhouses under full LED and in one greenhouse under hybrid lighting, at a density of three stems per square meter. “That’s slightly lower than some colleagues growing Macxize, but we also run a somewhat higher 24-hour average temperature,” says Vincent, who regularly exchanges insights with Cees Kortekaas of Axia and with fellow growers. Lans maintains a 24-hour average temperature of 19.5 to 20 degrees Celsius. “That’s important for achieving good quality.”
Fertilization is another key factor in maintaining quality in beefsteak tomato cultivation. From truss three or four onward, growers increase nitrogen application in their lit Macxize crops, having deliberately kept nitrogen levels lower earlier in the season. “Increasing nitrogen at the right time had a positive effect this season,” says Tobias. “As a result, we now have a strong crop at the end of the cultivation cycle”, despite the challenges that arise every year.
Stable fruit weight
Toward the end of this lit season, a heat wave presented one such challenge. In both growers’ greenhouses, the effects of the heat wave were visible in the crop. Fruit-set problems and blossom-end rot could not be avoided entirely. Tobias points to differences between Macxize XR and several trial varieties in his greenhouse, noting that the Axia variety recovered relatively quickly, with the plant heads now looking strong again.
“It’s certainly been a summer to remember,” Vincent says with a laugh, describing temperatures reaching 36 to 37 degrees Celsius combined with very high humidity as extreme.
Because of the heat, the grower sometimes chose to keep only four fruits per truss to preserve quality. “We usually start the season with six fruits per truss and reduce to five in summer. This year, though, was extreme.”
Both Vincent and Tobias note that Macxize XR is good at maintaining consistent fruit weight throughout the season. “Once you’re at 160 to 170 grams, it tends to hold that weight,” says Vincent. Tobias adds: “Macxize sets well and consistently produces fruit in the 160 to 165 gram range.”
Labor
Lans plans to start new lit crops in weeks 35, 37 and 44. Alvonto will plant in week 40 and, if all goes according to plan, continue cultivation through weeks 37/38 of 2027. For Alvonto, a company specializing in beefsteak tomatoes, the combination of Macxize XR’s production potential and ease of labor was decisive in choosing the Axia variety again for its sole lit-crop location, Tobias explains. “No truss treatment is needed, and you don’t have to remove leaves from the growing tip with this variety, so we don’t. That saves labor, and labor keeps getting more expensive.”
Unlike in previous lit seasons with Macxize XR, Alvonto plans to start the coming season directly at a density of 3.75 stems per square meter. “This year we started with 3.3 plants per square meter and moved to 3.75 from week 50 onward. Maintaining a side shoot during that stage of cultivation is difficult, labor-intensive, and slows growth. By starting directly with 3.75 stems next season, we expect to be able to grow a bit faster. It helps to know, season after season, how to set up a variety for success.”
Pictures: © Thijmen Tiersma | HortiDaily.com Publication date: Tue 21 Jul 2026
