Tomatoes are the most popular group in North America representing more than two thiird of the acreage. DeRuiter has a wide range of varieties and currently has the majority of the market. The area devoted to greenhouse tomatoes has increased dramatically in North America the last few years. Reasons for this increase have been the recognition by the consumer of greenhouse tomato quality and the willingness to pay a price premium for freshness and taste.
- History of the Tomato and Tomatoes and Vitamine A
The tomato originates from Central America and was already an important crop for the ancient Aztecs and Inca's of Mexico and Peru. In the 16th century, European adventurers brought the "love apple" to Europe and especially the Italians, Turks and Hungarians quickly accepted the tomato as an edible crop.
Only in the late 18th Century did the tomato become widespread in North-western Europe, first as an ornamental, and later as an edible product. In Germany and the Netherlands, the tomato did not become fully accepted until around 1850.
The first varieties grown in the West of Holland were of English origin. The legendary Ailsa Craig first appeared in Holland in 1913 and remained one of the main varieties up until 1960. It was the source for many successive hybrids in the "round", 2-3 locular varieties.
"Single Cross" was certainly one of the first, if not the first, hybrid variety, developed in 1939 and being commonly grown in the 1940's. In 1950 the English variety "Moneymaker" was introduced into Holland and was sold under many different names. In the 1950's F1-hybrids with a high tolerance to Cladosporium fulvum became available. In this time the IVT (Institute for the Breeding of Horticultural Crops) started research into disease resistance and their introduction into parental lines. This material was made available to the breeding companies in the late 50's and incorporated into commercial varieties in the 1960's.
De Ruiter Seeds introduced the variety Beauty in 1965, a semi-greenback tomato with Cladosporium tolerance (race A and B = C2). Resistances to Verticillium and Fusarium race 1 were bred into varieties in 1971.
A major break-through in disease resistance in tomato varieties occurred with the commercial introduction of Sonato in 1973. Sonato (TmC2VF) was the first major Tobacco Mosaic Virus resistant variety.
Sonatine (1975) was the successor to Sonato, having further resistance to Cladosporium races A,B,C,D and E (now grouped as C5). In 1982 the first variety tolerant to silvering, "Marathon" (TmC5VF2Wi), was to conquer a major part of the market.
1965 Cladosporium races A, B
1971 Verticillium and Fusarium race 1
1973 Tomato Mosaic Virus
1975 Cladosporium C1977 Fusarium 2 and Nematodes
1978 Cladosporium D, E
1979 Corky Root
1982 Silvering tomatoes
1986 Fusarium Crown and Root Rot
De Ruiter Seeds has continued to be at the fore-front of incorporating new resistances into varieties. The most notable in recent times has been the introduction of Fusarium Crown and Root Rot resistance varieties in 1988 at atime when the disease threatened to wipe out a major part of the glasshouse industry in North-west Europe and the USA.Tomatoes and Vitamine A
Vitamin A is essential for human growth and for normal functioning of the eyes. Vitamin A can be found in milk products, liver and fatty fish. However, the main source of vitamin A is through the consumption of vegetables.Vegetables contain Carotene, which is converted to vitamine A by the body. Carrots have the highest Carotene content and also get their orange colour from the Carotene. Spinach, cabbages, brussel sprouts and tomatoes also contain Carotene, but to a lesser extent.
In recent years De Ruiter Seeds has selected tomato varieties with high Carotene content, 2-3 times higher than the level in existing red tomato varieties. With a normal consumption of tomatoes they could become one of the main sources of daily vitamin A intake. Because Carotene is an orange pigment, these tomato fruits have a destinct orange-yellow colour which makes them obviously different from unripe orange-red tomatoes. At full maturity these "vitamin A" tomatoes have a lovely, deep (mandarin) orange colour.
At this present moment De Ruiter Seeds offers 3 varieties:
DRK 902 - fruit weight approx. 90g; round, 2-3 locular fruits. Resistances TmC5VF2NFr
Bolzano - fruit weight approximately 90g; firm fruits, round 2-3 locular fruit. Resistances TmC5VF2Fr. Possible harvest as truss.