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ISHS Acta Horticulturae 542: VII International Symposium on the Processing Tomato

VARIETIES: MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF GROWING IN AUSTRALIA

Authors:   W.J. Ashcroft, M.T. Watters, G.R. Ashburner, S.J. Wade, M.J. Hickey
Keywords:   Tomato breeding, environmental conditions, yield, quality
DOI:   10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.542.19
Abstract:
The Australian processing tomato industry is small by world standards, and over the past 20 years has elected to screen imported cultivars rather than develop its own. Australia’s growing conditions are unique and present numerous challenges to the tomato breeder, with the result that few of the many hundreds of lines screened have proven to be commercially successful. The production system used in Australia is similar to that of California, and not surprisingly, most commercial varieties originate from the USA. Crops are generally grown on heavy clay soils, and adverse weather conditions regularly influence their performance. By comparison, Australian summers are wetter than those of California, but drier and hotter than the midwestern United States, where tomatoes are also grown. Processor requirements are also stringent due to their relatively small intake capacity and specialized end-products. Nevertheless, adoption of improved genotypes has been rapid in recent years, and this has contributed to significant productivity increases. Cultivars from both California (Heinz 9280) and the midwest (Hypeel 696, Heinz 9035) have been successful, and following recent rationalization of breeding programs by several USA-based seed companies, material combining germplasm from both these areas is beginning to show promise.

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