Department
of
Horticultural Science
Fresh Market Tomato Breeding Program
Tomato Breeder and Professor
Horticultural Science
|
Department
of
|
Fresh Market Tomato Breeding Program Tomato Breeder and Professor |
|
Bypass Navigation | Fresh Market Tomato Home | Cultivars & Breeding Lines | Trial Data | Tomato Production | Publications | R. G. Gardner | MHCR&EC Home
The fresh market tomato breeding program emphasizes the development of improved, disease resistant cultivars adapted to production in North Carolina and surrounding areas. Currently, emphasis is on combining early and late blight resistances, Fusarium wilt race 3, and tomato spotted wilt virus resistance into superior tomato breeding lines and hybrids. In terms of horticultural traits, breeding is for earliness, large fruit size, firmness, color, flavor, smoothness, crack resistance, shelf life (rin and nor genes), and high temperature fruit set. Combinations of quality features and disease resistance are sought in a variety of types (large-fruited, Roma, cherry, grape) and in red and yellow fruit colors. Male sterility is being incorporated into desirable backgrounds to facilitate hybrid seed production.
Breeding will continue toward further improving fruit quality and disease resistance in breeding lines and cultivars. Molecular markers will be used where available to assist in selection for desired genes.
Tomato growers will be able to sustain and, hopefully, increase production and profitability as a result of growing improved cultivars. Consumers will benefit from improvements in fruit quality and diversity in types of fresh-market tomatoes. Advancement of disease resistance genes from wild backgrounds into cultivated types will benefit tomato production and cultivar development worldwide.
Sixteen named cultivars and nineteen breeding lines have been released from the program (See 'Restrictions Pertaining to Cultivar and Breeding Line Releases'). Descriptions of the releases are available by mail on request. Also, descriptions are available in the HortScience articles listed in the publications section. Most of the named cultivars have been released on an exclusive basis to a single seed company for seed production and sales. Royalties from seed sales come back to NC State University with a portion being used to support the breeding program.
Trial samples of all cultivars and breeding lines are available at no charge to interested tomato breeders. The three most recently released lines (NC EBR-7, NC EBR-8, and NC 1rinEC) require completion of a Seed Transfer Agreement prior to seed being sent. Other lines are available on request without a written agreement. However, many of the lines require a Hybrid Parental Use Agreement, with royalties paid, for use as parents in hybrids for commercial seed production and sales.
The program cooperates with public and private breeders worldwide. Breeders seeking to develop experimental hybrids with traits present in non-released NCSU breeding lines can obtain pollen through a Pollen Transfer Agreement. Pollen transfer can be followed by seed transfer through the Parental Use Agreement for hybrids to be commercially produced and sold.
Lines Requiring a Seed Transfer Agreement
Lines Available Through a Pollen Transfer Agreement
Randolph G. Gardner, Ph.D.
Mountain
Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
455 Research Drive
Fletcher, NC 28732
Phone: 828.684.3562 ~ Fax: 828.684.8715
Email: randy_gardner@ncsu.edu
Web Crafter: Anne S. Napier ~ Email: anne_napier@ncsu.edu
Updated June 23, 2006