The Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) has held the tomato world in its grip in recent years, but now, growers can breathe again. Last season, Enza Zaden succeeded in making its entire range resistant. Growers now cultivate HREZ-resistant varieties on over 500 hectares in the Benelux and 1,000+ hectares worldwide. For the coming season, no fewer than 25 varieties have Enza Zaden's High Resistance.
Frank van Antwerpen.
Latest introduction
This Dutch breeding company, thus, invited chain partners to its demo nursery on Thursday, August 31, where it presented its latest introductions for 2024. Attendees also got to see the resistance effect of Enza Zaden's High Resistance (HREZ), a growing collection of varieties with high resistance to ToBRFV. Some 60 participants, including growers, trading parties, advisors, and plant breeders' representatives, took advantage of this in two sessions.
"These HREZ-resistant varieties provide an answer for at least 90% of the tomato assortment. They're either better than the reference variety or compromise at most five percent on things like production and flavor," begins tomato product manager Frank van Antwerpen. That the highly resistant tomato varieties meet a need hardly warrants an explanation. "We see another upward trend for next season; within three years, all non-resistant varieties should be gone."
A full presentation room.
Maarten van den Heuvel, Jeroen Rouppe van der Voort, Martijn van Stee and Peter Buijks from Enza Zaden.
Regular planting dates and harvest cycles
The HREZ collection includes all the important types of tomatoes like Roma, beef, plum, cherry, snack, and vine tomatoes. The varieties are also adapted to different growing systems and conditions. "Growers who've been weighed down by the ToBRFV threat for years can return to regular planting dates and harvest cycles while enjoying consistent quality and potentially higher yields. Retailers, in turn, can expect improved delivery reliability and consistent product quality," says Frank.
Enza Zaden's Kris Smits and Den Berk Délice's Hans van Gool.
Berjelle van Namen and Henk van Dam of Globe Plant.
Beef tomato
Enza Zaden introduced, for example, the EZ 3148 and EZ 3149 varieties in the beef tomato segment. "We usually choose a single variety, but the difference in these numbers is minimal. Also, we needed all the seeds because growers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France were so convinced about them."
Unlike the reference variety, the new variety has fewer open butts, the fruit is 10-20 grams heavier, and it offers plenty of production potential. For the Eastern European and North American markets in particular, Enza Zaden introduced the slightly lighter-colored resistant variety EZ 2750.
Mike Lemmen, Frank van der Spek, Willem van der Knaap, and Bart van den Bosch.
Dirk Vreugdenhil (QPI) and Florian Prins (Harvest House).
Several hundred hectares
The large TOV Perimos and Martinique HREZ varieties were quickly introduced on several hundred hectares last year. In the coming years, the new EZ3013 and EZ 3014 varieties will partly replace those varieties. "These quality vine tomatoes are 'vandal proof' and our biggest newcomers. They're beautifully red with a slight sheen and better flavor. In the coming year, this tomato will be in countries like the Netherlands, France, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Belgium, where it's gained a place in the elite segment," says Van Antwerpen.
QPI's Rick van Dasler and Mark van der Zalm.
Kees van Zon, Sjaak Verploegen, and Roy Peeters of Scherpenhuizen.
Snack tomato segment
The resistant newcomer in the snack tomato segment is the EZ 2988. "A high-quality variety with good color and shelf life." In the medium-size segment, Enza Zaden introduced the HREZ-resistant Ustica last year. Frank is also proud of the introduction of the Sunstream variety EZ 3418.
"I was immediately enthusiastic when I saw this variety in our demo greenhouse early this year. Appearance-wise, it immediately scored highest in the tests. I insisted on breeding this variety's seeds as soon as possible, and seven months later, I succeeded. The first growers are going all-out," Frank explains.
Tm2² resistance gene
In their presentation, Jeroen Rouppe van der Voort and Martijn van Stee, respectively, Research Manager and Crop Breeding Manager at Enza Zaden, compared this latest find to the Tm2² resistance gene. It proved to be the solution against the Tomato Mosaic Virus and has been holding its own for 50 years.
"HREZ resistance is based on a so-called hypersensitivity reaction. That means when the virus is detected, surrounding cells are destroyed. That mechanism stops the virus's replication and spread under normal conditions. That's similar to other dominant plant resistance genes such as Tm-2²," Jeroen and Martijn say.
Jeroen Rouppe van der Voort.
HREZ potential to resist ToBRFV
"The good news is that HREZ has the potential to resist ToBRFV, but that won't happen by itself. Stringent hygiene measures must be strictly enforced. We also recommend using HREZ varieties only per greenhouse compartment and using HREZ rootstocks and HREZ varieties. Those actively block virus multiplication, which stops the symptoms," the breeders emphasize.
For more information:
Enza Zaden
Tel.: +31 (0) 228 350 100
Email: info@enzazaden.com
www.enzazaden.com