Tomato Variety Appears To Resist Bacterial Disease WOOSTER, Ohio Ohio State University researchers have developed a tomato variety that appears to resist bacterial spot, one of three major diseases in Ohio that wreak havoc on the crop. David Francis, Ohio Agricul tural Research and Development Center researcher, said that the study, following three years of development, is in its second year of yield tests and shows promis ing enough results to move into the pre-commercial stage. “The tomatoes are holding up pretty well to the disease. We consider it a partial resistance, not a full immunity,” said Francis. “But we could release a variety as early as next year with commer cial seed available by 2002.” Sally Miller, OARDC plant pa- 'i Let Your Crops i : Dine On Alpine iSfßm I’ t ? The Company That T > Offers You ■ High Quality Plant Food ■ > I ■ At Competitive Prices " | > < 1 Dealer Inquiries Welcome | • Talk To Us About Seed Banded Plant Food And 11 'i Foliar Feeding Place Phosphorus Where It Does Most Good (Seed Banded) 11 6-24-6 9-18-9 3-18-18 5-15-15 1’ Check Early Order & Quantity Price | Zimmerman Lime & Fertilizer, Inc. | 235 W Burkholder Dr (717) 733-7674 Lititz, PA 17543 S \ Dealer of Raven Liquid Storage Tanks j? thologist and a researcher from the University of Florida are also participating in the study. Bacterial spot, caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas camp estris pv. vesicatoria, attacks to mato plants under moist envi ronmental conditions. In addition to attacking the leaves, bacterial spot also causes spot ting, blemishing, and distortion of the fruit, reducing its marketa bility and palatability. Exact monetary crop loss in Ohio caused by bacterial spot is not known, but Francis estimates that approximately 10 percent of the state’s $2O million annual processing tomato crop is lost to bacterial spot, as well as bacterial speck and bacterial canker, two other major diseases in Ohio. “It depends on the disease, environ mental conditions and a grower’s crop,” said Francis. ‘Losses can range from 10 percent to 80 per cent for an individual.” OARDC research on bacterial spot spawned from a survey of growers and processors, who named bacterial spot as one of the most important diseases in Ohio, said Francis. “A couple of fungal diseases were included on the list, but other people were al ready working on those,” he said. “Research has been done on bac terial spot before, but this is the first time we’ve strung the whole process together to get a variety.” The researchers focused on a Hawaiian tomato line that exhi bits multiple bacterial resistance, including bacterial spot. Using DNA market tech- nology similar to that used in forensics, the re searchers identified and selected disease resistant genes in the Hawaiian line. By sub sequently crossbreed ing the Hawaiian line with a tomato variety adapted to Ohio grow ing conditions, the re searchers were able to develop over 100 to mato varieties that ex hibited resistance to bacterial spot. Out of the original population and subsequent generations, four vari- eties were chosen for their resis tance to bacterial spot while maintaining the horticultural characteristics necessary for marketing success. “ The quality of the fruit is the biggest concern. These varieties passed that hurdle,” said Fran cis, adding that the tomatoes also exhibit traits, such as high yield, excellent color, and a balanced sugar and citric acid content. The researchers have planted and studied the varieties in sev eral areas, including Wooster, Ohio, Fremont, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mary land, and Canada. “It’s easy for me to see faults in the varieties that I want to make improve ments on,” said Francis. “But we’ve really done something here. We’ve added extra value to the seed that other varieties don’t have.” The researchers are also cur rently conducting tomato studies on bacterial speck and bacterial canker. FFfl Discover the Power
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