Selecting Heirloom Tomato Varieties for Disease Resistance

Project Overview

FNE03-452
Project Type: Farmer
Funds awarded in 2003: $5,150.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2005
Region: Northeast
State: Massachusetts
Project Leader:
Jeremy Barker-Plotkin
Email

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Vegetables: tomatoes

Practices

  • Education and Training: demonstration, on-farm/ranch research
  • Pest Management: genetic resistance

    Proposal summary:

    Resistance to early blight and Septoria leaf spot would improve the length of season and thus the profitability of heirloom tomatoes. The farmer will arrange a trial of seven to ten different heirloom varieties to determine resistance, and seed from the most resistant plants will be saved and grown out in 2003-2004. These plants will then be used in a repeat trial, and the seed-saving process repeated. The progeny from this second trial will be used in a demonstration plot, and project results will be offered at seed-saving and growers’ conferences, growers’ publications, and will also be integrated into a sustainable agriculture curriculum. Any promising germ plasm will be offered for sale or exchange through seed saving groups or packaging companies.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.