Tomato > Beefsteak > Varieties > GRACE

• TmC5OVF2FrWi
• strong vigor
• performs well under high light and high temperature conditions
• fruit have more shine
• less susceptible to stem punctures
• low light sensitive-do not sow before Nov 10 in northern climates
• fruit size is similar to Match and Trust
• Powdery mildew tolerant

 General Information :

FRUIT QUALITY

Fruit firmness at picking is slightly superior to Trust and similar to Blitz. The firmness of Blitz however carries longer, so that after approximately 10 days in storage, the firmness of Grace is similar to Trust. In terms of color, Grace is a deeper red than either Blitz or Trust. Grace is very strong in through-coloring. The biggest advantage of Grace is the ease of setting, roundness of the fruits and uniformity of size and shape in the truss. In the evaluation trials of 1996, Grace averaged 190 grams - without fruit pruning, with often 5-6 equal fruits per truss (as it turned out on later evaluation). Grace was introduced because of the qualities it showed during last season, and growers did their best to increase fruit size through pruning. In hindsight, the measures taken were overdone and this has resulted in quite some russeting because of too large a fruit size (see below).

PLANT HABIT

The vigor of Grace is between that of Trust and Blitz. Because of the setting and equal (large) fruit size, the plant loads up faster than Trust. It is also 1 week earlier into production than Trust. For both reasons, the balance between vigor and plant-load is similar to that of Trust in the first stage of the crop. In the first stages of the crop (up until the 8-10th truss), Grace can be pruned and grown like Trust.  Attempts to overload the plant will result in similar symptoms as with Trust - Mg/Fe deficiency and chlorosis. Once the plant unloads its first trusses and conditions allow regrowth, measures need to be taken to control the regrowth of Grace to avoid microcracking. The regrowth has to be controlled through generative measures, for example by D:N differences (without letting the fruits become too big), and/or anticipating control of vigor through more fruits per truss (e.g. 5 instead of 4 fruits). In the summer, Grace shows longer leaves and a stronger plant than Trust, although it cannot match Blitz for its vigor and coverage. The fruit shape does not take on the high-round shape of Trust and Blitz, remaining flatter and better shaped. The calyx is curved, so also there is less stem puncturing of the fruits. In summary, Grace offers an exciting addition to the present range of beef tomato varieties. The mildew tolerance is an added bonus.

 

 DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE :

GRACE information

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