The Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has introduced a novel cherry tomato variety, "Tainan No. 25." According to Director Chen Yu-chu, the variety is oblong and weighs approximately 11.5 grams per fruit. It features a sweet-and-sour taste and can be refrigerated at 5°C for up to four weeks, making it suitable for export.
The "Jade Girl" cherry tomato remains the most popular among consumers and is widely cultivated. However, its limited heat tolerance restricts its harvest season from December to April. In contrast, Tainan No. 25 is heat-tolerant and cultivable from March to May. This allows farmers to adjust planting schedules to extend cherry tomato availability by one to two months.
Taiwan's annual domestic trade volume for cherry tomatoes is around 19,000 tons, with exports mainly to Hong Kong and Singapore totaling about 31 tons. A previous attempt to export the Jade Girl variety to the Middle East failed due to its short shelf life, which is less than two weeks. Tainan No. 25's longer shelf life could address storage and shipping constraints, potentially opening new export markets.
The agency has also implemented pest control using natural predators, reducing pesticide costs by nearly 60% and increasing yields by at least 20%. In addition, a variety named "Tainan No. 1," resistant to bacterial wilt, was developed in July. It is the first domestically developed tomato combining disease resistance with temperature resilience.
Source: Taiwan News
