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COA unveils new mini tomato that is resistant to disease

“In recent years, small tomatoes have been affected by tomato leaf curl disease.” — Huang Tien-min, researcher

A new variety of tomato will be on sale at grocery stores around the country later this year, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.

The news came after the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (TSIP) in Pingtung County unveiled a new subspecies that is able to ward off disease and pests better than current types, the council said yesterday.

“In recent years, small tomatoes have been affected by tomato leaf curl disease, causing farmers to suffer from crop losses,” station researcher Huang Tien-min (黃天民) said.

Aside from financial losses to farmers, the problem also tips the supply-and-demand balance of the small-sized tomato market.

As such, TSIP researchers spent four years with the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) to develop a small-sized tomato that is more resistant to warm weather and disease, Huang said.

The center is a not-for-profit research institute founded by the Asian Development Bank with headquarters in Tainan County and branches all over the world.

The tomato plant, named FMTT 22, carries fruit that averages 15.4g in weight and is resistant to tomato leaf curl virus and tomato mosaic virus, Huang said.

Although the tomatoes are heat-resistant, the year-round vines will yield more fruit during cooler months in the fall or winter.
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