TOMATO NEWS TAMATIENUUS - Low rainfall remains a big concern for the agricultural industry - Tomato Producers' Organisation
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TOMATO NEWS
DESEMBER 2018
vol 16 no 6
TAMATIENUUS
Low rainfall remains a big
concern for
the agricultural industry
The South African Weather Service may have offered an optimistic outlook pointing towards the possibility of
above-normal rainfall between December and February 2019, but there has, so far, been little evidence of an
improvement in rainfall. Additionally, fears of an extreme dryness, typically called “El Niño”, later in the 2019
summer season put a further damper on spirits.
While there are a number of reasons that outlook, proves to be a key challenge It may be just and equitable for no
were cited as causes for despondency again for summer crop growing areas compensation to be paid where land is
in the sector in the Agbiz and Industrial and could then negatively affect the expropriated in the public interest, the
Development Corporation’s agribusiness performance of the agricultural sector in government said in a draft legislation
confidence index, which was released 2019.” released on the Green Gazette website.
early December, Agbiz agribusiness Overall annual performance will be The Minister, Department of Agriculture,
research head Wandile Sihlobo Sihlobo largely dependent on weather conditions Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana,
noted that the weather impact featured in the summer rainfall areas. said that the government’s position on
prominently. Another concern is the high land expropriation without compensation,
“. . . the weather remains a key factor unemployment rate in the country. will not result in the confiscation of
that will determine the growth prospects According to Statistics South Africa, commercial farms that are producing
of the South African agricultural economy the unemployment rate among young goods for our agro-food markets. Food
in the coming year,” he told media people aged 15 to 34 is 38,2%, or 21 security for this country is a fundamental
attending the Agbiz conference, which million people. This means that more issue, but the issue of land redress is
focused on discussing the agribusiness than one in every three young people equally important.
outlook for 2019. are unemployed. This poses a massive “It is in this regard that we urge all
As a result, he stated that this year challenge for South Africa’s future. stakeholders to focus on workable
would end on a mixed note, considering The agribusiness sector can play a solutions as proposed by government. In
that dry and hot weather conditions major role in South Africa’s economic terms of land reform, DAFF is working with
across South Africa are currently a source turnaround on condition that real public- provincial departments to grow capacity
of despondency in the South African private partnerships are established to to be able to better respond with post-
agriculture sector. ensure good planning, execution and settlement support to ensure the success
Sentiment, he said, remains subdued counter-accountability, Agbiz CEO of land reform beneficiaries. But we need
as can be seen in the consistent Dr John Purchase added. However, to forge partnerships with the public
deterioration in the agribusiness constructive engagement is needed sector and mentorship mechanisms with
confidence index, which fell to its lowest within the economic cluster of Cabinet, established commercial farmers.“
level in nine years in the fourth quarter. translating into action plans through the Purchase stressed that the political
While the agricultural gross domestic 2019 State of the Nation Address and uncertainty still holds sway and clarity
product rebounded from that of the third the 2019/20 National Budget, he added. on critical issues, such as the African
quarter, growing by 6.5% quarter-on- He explained that the damage to South National Congress and Economic
quarter, Sihlobo warned that the recent Africa’s economy over the past decade Freedom Fighter’s support for land
uptick is no cause for celebration. is enormous and it will take “a mammoth expropriation without compensation,
“The recovery could well be temporary, effort” by all South Africans to turn the which will only become apparent after the
and weak going forward as the weather country back onto the road to growth and election and may very well be determined
outlook, which initially painted a positive prosperity. by the election results.
omato ews is published b the omato roducers’ rganisation. hile ever effort has been made to ensure the accurac of the contents of the publication, the cannot be held responsible for
an omissions, errors or acts based on the contents hereof. o part of this maga ine ma be reproduced or transmitted in an form or b an means, electronic or mechanical, including photocop ing,
recording, or an information storage or retrieval s stem without prior permission from the . esign and production b rotean ublishing. mail oanke ter proteanpub.co. a. ontact the
at or visit www.tomatoessa.org
NUUSFLITSE
Listeriose... Minimumloon
Die wetsontwerp op die nasionale
minimumloon, soos in die Nasionale
...styg steeds Raad van Provinsies in Augustus
goedgekeur en end November
Mid 2018 is ongeveer 214 sterftes in MacDougall, die uitvoerende hoof van deur Cyril Ramaphosa onderteken
Suid-Afrika aan listeriose toegeskryf. een van die grootste vervaardigers en is, tree in Januarie 2019 in werking.
Voor 2017 is reeds bykans 80 gevalle bemarkers van verbruikersgoedere, Tans gaan Suid-Afrika gebuk onder
aangeteken. Tiger Brands, het gedurende 27 persent werkloosheid. Vrese dat
Listeriose, ’n voedselverwante November hul afgelope boekjaar se die wetsontwerp hierdie syfer kan
siekte, kan alleenlik beveg word laer inkomste onder meer aan die verhoog, word wyd geopper. Die
deur gesonde voedselhigiëne toe listeriose-uitbraak toegeskryf. Tiger wetgewing bepaal dat niemand in
te pas. Die listeriose-bakterie kom Brands moes hul vervaardiging van Suid-Afrika minder as R20 per uur
onder meer voor in verwerkte vleis, waardetoegevoegde vleis staak. mag verdien nie.
afvalwater, riool, by diere, en verrotte Verkope het met bykans vier persent
plantmateriaal. Voedsel wat maklik gedaal. MacDougall skat hul verlies Land Bank neem
besmet word, is ongepasteuriseerde
melk, roomys, sagte kase, seekosse,
op ongeveer R380 miljoen. Aanlegte
in Germiston, Plolkwane en Pretoria deel aan
gerookte hoendervleis, groente soos
spanspek, tamatie en advokado.
is tydelik gesluit en hul Enterprise-
vleisprodukte is van winkelrakke
VN-poging
Die mikrobe wat verantwoordelik onttrek nadat bevestig is dat die Die Land Bank is een van 28 banke in die
is vir die siekte kan eers teen Enterprise polonie die bron is van die wêreld wat saam met die Verenigde Nasies
sowat 80°C vernietig word. Dit ST6-stam van die Listeria-bakterie. (VN) gewerk het om verantwoordelike
bied ook sterk weerstand teen Tot 85 persent van die listeriose- bankwese te bewerkstellig. Beginsels wat
die meeste ontsmettingsmiddels gevalle het oorsprong in die ST6- verantwoordelike bankwese definiëer, is
en soutoplossings. Lawrence stam. end November bepaal. Banke wat hulself
Listeriosis outbreak
aan hierdie beginsels verbind, ondersteun
die VN se ontwikkelingsdoelwitte asook
die onlangse Parys-klimaatooreenkoms.
continued Grond-onteiening
The Johannesburg Local Division of the start the class action. The class action Dit was die regerende ANC se
High Court of South Africa has granted will proceed in two stages. The first of onderneming dat dit geen beleggings,
an order certifying a class action which will determine whether or not the landbou, voedselsekerheid of die
against Tiger Brands. The class action packaged goods company is liable. ekonomie sal skaad tydens die besluit
certification follows a listeriosis outbreak Should any of the classes be successful om grond-onteiening toe te pas nie. Die
in March at Tiger Brands’ subsidiary in the first stage, the class action will parlement het egter ’n mosie aanvaar
Enterprise Foods’ manufacturing facility proceed to the second stage. om voor end Maart 2019 ’n wetsontwerp
in Polokwane, which is alleged to have Tiger Brands noted in a statement on gereed te hê om artikel 25 van die
resulted in 200 recorded listeriosis- Monday that only members of the classes grondwet te vervang. Dit sal onteiening
caused deaths since the outbreak. who opt-in at the second stage will van grond sonder vergoeding moontlik
With certification now complete, benefit from the class action against the maak. Altesaam 183 parlementslede het
applicants will issue a summons to respondents who are found to be liable. ten gunste van die mosie gestem en 77
Kom los van Eskom
daarteen. Die politieke partye wat teen
die mosie gekant is, is die DA, Cope, IVP,
VF Plus en die ACDP. ’n Ad-hoc komitee,
”Eskom kan die hele land laat faal”. skade onder Eskom se toepassing van bestaande uit 11 stemgeregtigde lede
Dit is die woorde ene dr. John beurtkrag. Eskom se massiewe skuldlas, van die Nasionale Vergadering met ses
Purchase, uitvoerende hoof van weens onder meer miljarde rande wat lede van die ANC, twee van die DA, een
’n landbousakekamer, Agbiz. Hy wanfunksionerende munisipaliteite skuld, van die EFF, en twee lede van ander
raai voedselverskaffers aan om in is die nuwe Eskom-voorsitter, Jabu partye, moet die beoogde wetgewing
hernieubare energie te belê tot algehele Mabuza, se onbenydenswaardige taak formuleer. Die komitee moet ook 14 lede
onafhanklikheid van Eskom. So ’n stap om Eskom se posisie te versterk. Dit is ook van die Nasionale Vergadering, wat nie
is egter onwettig. Agbiz het die regering ’n politieke tameletjie: die ANC-regering stemreg het nie, betrek, en wel twee lede
versoek om wetgewing in hierdie verband het geen idee hoe om die probleem voor van die ANC, een in die DA, en EFF en
te wysig. Voedselverwerkers lei geweldig die algemene verkiesing te hanteer nie. tien lede van die ander partye.
3 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018
How to grow more food and
save on earth’s
scarce water resource
Sustainable development is centralized around the nexus of three elements: water, food and energy. With
the world population expected to grow from a little over 7 billion today, to 8 billion by 2025, demands for all
these three elements are increasing at an alarming rate.
Farming has always required a hands-on capabilities. To tackle all these issues conditions in plots where no data is being
enterprise, whether it is for reading the and with a vision to help the world collected on the ground.In order to help
weather conditions or choosing a crop. grow more food with fewer resources, growers use fewer natural resources out
Traditionally, when a farmer conjectured SupPlant, a revolution in irrigation, came in the fields, SupPlant has developed
how much water a crop needs, he/she into existence. The ability to implement a unique artificial intelligence system
used to grab a handful of soil and feel irrigation autonomously through AI, with named Growth-Based Irrigation – GBI™.
how it clumps together. While today, the SupPlant technology, is already GBI is the first commercial irrigation
something else is helping to enlighten the allowing farmers around the world to system that is fully autonomous, reactive
farmer’s touch: and that’s Data. Sensors, save an average 30% of their water use to plant’s exact needs in real time. It is
satellites and software are adding piles and increase the yield quantity (5-10%) able to analyze data generated from
of new data to help manage water in the as well as quality. SupPlant delivers a crops through sensors and translate this
farm. service of autonomous irrigation, and data into irrigation commands.
From soil moisture to leaf transpiration, agriculture consultancy. The data from The system has been commercial for
pump speed to valve status, a farm field these plots, that don’t have sensors two years already years and is sold in 14
is now modernized with the intelligence installed, is being validated through NDVI different markets worldwide.
of the Internet of Things and predictive satellite images which allows to validate
Perfekte oplossings in
besproeiingsbestuur
Doen navraag by jou naaste besproeiings handelaar oor Agriplas Produkte
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4 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018 2015/07/09 3:02 PM
Tomatoes for the
astronauts
Space missions are a bit like a marathon with checkpoints – only once the first model of a satellite has been successfully
tested will construction commence on the actual flight model. The Eu:CROPIS satellite developed by the German
Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), which will operate two greenhouses under
Martian and lunar conditions, has now reached this milestone – construction of the flight model can now begin. The
finish line is already in sight: launched by Space-X, the satellite and its scientific payload took off for outer space on
board the Falcon 9 in the second half of 2017. “We constructed the model here at DLR Bremen, and conducted
rigorous flight tests,” explained engineer Hartmut Müller, Project Manager for satellite construction at the DLR Institute
of Space Systems.
Assisted by microorganisms
and euglena
During its mission, the Eu:CROPIS
satellite is designed to rotate at an altitude
of 600 kilometres, initially replicating lunar
gravity for a period of six months before
simulating Martian gravity for the next six
months.
During this period, tomato seeds will
germinate and produce small cosmic
tomatoes under the watchful eye of 16
cameras.
Key helpers that enable this growth
will also be transported into space: first, Turning waste into fertiliser DLR control centre in Oberpfaffenhofen
an entire colony of microorganisms (GSOC; German Space Operations
inhabiting a trickle filter will convert
under controlled conditions Center), while the greenhouse will
synthetic urine into easily digestible “A compost heap used for recycling receive its commands from the DLR
fertilisers for the tomatoes. Second, the purposes would not be controllable on control centre in Cologne (MUSC;
single-cell organism euglena will also be a space station or in a habitat, which is Microgravity User Support Center). The
on board to protect the hermetic system why we use our trickle filter C.R.O.P. trickle filter, with its ravenous inhabitants,
from excessive ammonia and to deliver It fulfils the same function as normal will be operated by the DLR Institute of
oxygen. LED light will be used to provide soil, but is controllable.” This is why the Aerospace Medicine, and the Friedrich-
the day/night rhythm that the euglena and lava stones fitted in the trickle filter will Alexander-Universität of Erlangen-
tomato seed require. A pressure tank will initially be ‘infected’ with dried soil before Nürnberg will contribute the euglena. The
replicate the Earth’s atmosphere. Eu:CROPIS is sent off on its journey. second greenhouse with Martian gravity
“Ultimately, we are simulating and This inoculation will allow a variety will be activated six months later: by
testing greenhouses that could be of organisms to settle in the porous, then, the microorganisms, tomato seeds
assembled inside a lunar or Martian expansive surface of the lava stone, which and euglena will have been exposed
habitat to provide the crew with a local they will use as a habitat. Once it reaches to cosmic radiation for six months – the
source of fresh food. The system would space, synthetic urine mixed with water equivalent to a flight to Mars. The DLR
do this by managing the controlled will be trickled on the habitat every two to Institute of Aerospace Medicine will
conversion of waste into fertiliser,” says three days, triggering a true competition measure the radiation exposure inside
DLR biologist Jens Hauslage, head of the for food between these microorganisms. and outside the satellite throughout
scientific part of the mission. In a lunar Here, nitrite is used to convert the harmful the entire mission. “We are using
habitat, for instance, the greenhouse ammonia into nitrate, which is then added Eu:CROPIS to space test technology
would be located in the astronauts’ to the tomato seeds as fertiliser. for use in habitats on other celestial
‘home’ in a simulated Earth atmosphere. bodies, but it could be installed just as
Urine would be one of the waste products Celestial and earthly applications well in a terrestrial setting,” Hauslage.
the astronauts would produce in For instance, trickle filters can be fitted
abundance. Here, the plants would have Once Eu:CROPIS and its scientific payload to make manure more effective and less
to adapt to reduced gravity conditions have reached space, the first stage will odorous. Recycling urine in conurbations,
– the gravitational pull on the Moon is be to activate the greenhouse that will for instance in greenhouses installed in
approximately one sixth of what it is on simulate a lunar environment. During this high-rise buildings (vertical farms), would
Earth, and on Mars it is around one third. phase, the satellite will be controlled by the be another possible use.
5 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018
How to treat against
the African Bollworm
The African bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) has many host crops. The caterpillar, which is spiny when
young, has a light stripe on the sides and usually turns green to match the foliage when older.
The adults are night-flying moths, the females being yellow to Timing is important, as the caterpillars are far more susceptible
orange, and the males a greenish-grey. to insecticides when young and can be eliminated before they
One of the dangers of the bollworm is that it tends to appear do damage or ‘escape’ into the fruit. As always, use only those
sporadically. Months can pass without any sign of bollworm, and products that are absolutely safe for beneficial insects. If you
then a sudden outbreak can occur.This happens particularly control bollworm with harsh products, you could easily end up
after winter when the weather becomes favourable; the moths with an outbreak of leaf miners or other pests, as the insects that
hatch from their underground pupae and invade the crops, control these have been killed.
seemingly out of the blue.
The females lay eggs singly, usually on younger leaves or
flower buds. The young larvae start by eating these, then often
move on to the fruit and stems. They burrow into the fruit and
can often be seen half in and half out of the holes they create;
the damage makes the fruit unmarketable. Many worms remain
within the larger fruit, where they are safe from pesticides. They
also bore down the main stem of the plant. The eggs are fairly
easy to spot on the young shoots, but the best way to determine
the presence of egg-laying moths is to set pheromone traps at
strategic spots. If these attract male moths, the pest is active
and measures should be taken to control the young caterpillars.
6 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018
Sticky, prickly and
heavily armed
Armed with long thorns and sticky stems, newly described plant
Solanum kollastrum might look like a villain by plant standards,
but a closer look on this curious new species will reveal its
star-like nature in the context of its ecosystem.
Recently described in open access journal PhytoKeys, this newly
discovered tomato relative boasts stems densely armed with prickles
of up to 17 mm long and to 2.3 mm wide at the base. In fact, the new
species is baptised after yet another showy defence mechanism. The
name kollastrum comes from the Greek words for glue and star, referring
to the peculiar sticky hairs that end in a star-like formation. While all this
heavy armour might at first fool you that this new species lives in isolation, a
closer look has revealed that, contrary to the expectations, S. kollastrum starts
as the good guy in its ecosystem. In its own right, Solanum is an extremely
diverse plant genus to which important crops such as potatoes, tomatoes and
eggplants belong. Endemic to eastern Brazil, the known records of the armed
new species are mostly concentrated along the Mucuri River watershed, where it
inhabits edge of small forest fragments. In fact, the species is especially seen in areas
at the base or on the peculiar and gigantic geological formations known as inselbergs or
‘sugar loaves’.Some populations were also found in disturbed sites near these rock outcrops,
such as borders of unpaved roads and pastures. “The discovery of S. kollastrum, a robust and
conspicuous plant growing at the roadsides in regions close to large urban centres, highlights how
insufficiently known the Brazilian flora is,” explain authors from the Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais and Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Brazil.“This highlights how urgent the need is to
describe, study and conserve the country’s plant diversity. Thus, we hope that this discovery encourages the
study on the most diverse aspects of this species’ biology.”
7 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018
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RESEARCH
Genetics of Stress
While trying to understand genetics of stress to make tomatoes and other crops more productive,
Indian researchers have identified a gene that helps the tomato plant tackle pathogens as well as heat stress.
Source: Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Scientists at New Delhi-based National Institute of Plant Genome
Research (NIPGR) have deciphered critical role of a single gene -
SlDEAD35 - in tomato plant whose expression controls its response to
both heat stress and viral infection.
It has been known that RNA helicases, one of the largest gene
families that function in almost all aspects of RNA metabolism, play a
role in growth, development and stress response of a species. They
are present in most of the organisms ranging from bacteria to humans,
as well as plants.
However, its role in tomato plant’s response towards environmental
stresses was not known. The NIPGR team observed that two
genes (SlDEAD23 and SlDEAD35) help plants withstand biotic and
abiotic stresses. “We had looked into the transcriptome dynamics
of a tomato variety tolerant to Tomato leaf Curl New Delhi Virus
infection. Comparative transcriptome analysis of virus infected as
well as uninfected plants showed a significant upregulation of one DEAD-box RNA helicase gene which prompted us to go for its
characterisation,” says Dr Manoj Prasad, who led the research team. “We find that SlDEAD35 gene plays crucial role against virus as
well as heat stress, which might provide the framework for improved yield and tolerance against combined stress in tomato,” he adds.
Developing systems for tolerance or resistance against combined stresses is important for future crop production. “We have found
a candidate gene which might provide the framework to understand the science behind plants’ response against combined stresses.
We can introduce the gene through molecular breeding to develop varieties for the combined stress tolerance in tomato,” says the
lead author, Saurabh Pandey.
New info regarding LED
lighting in greenhouses
To satisfy increasing consumer demand for locally grown, fresh tomatoes during off-seasons, greenhouse
tomato growers often need to rely on supplemental lighting.
Tomato growers are looking to light- The researchers conducted three colour, aroma, texture, sweetness, acidity,
emitting diodes (LEDs), favoured for their separate studies to investigate the effect aftertaste, and overall approval using a
energy-saving potential, as an alternative of supplemental light quantity and quality five-point preference scale. “By collecting
to high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) on greenhouse-grown tomatoes. Plants both physicochemical and sensory data,
in greenhouse operations. A recent were grown either with natural solar we were able to determine whether
study offers new information about the radiation only (the control), natural solar statistically significant physicochemical
feasibility of using LEDs in greenhouse radiation plus supplemental lighting from parameters of tomato fruit also reflected
tomato operations. high-pressure sodium lamps, or natural consumer perception of fruit quality,” they
Michael Dzakovich, Celina Gómez, and solar radiation plus supplemental light said. The sensory panels indicated that
Cary Mitchell from the Department of from intracanopy (IC) LED towers. The physicochemical differences were not
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture scientists analyzed plant responses by noticeable to tasters.
at Purdue University noted that light- collecting chromacity, Brix, titratable “This study demonstrated that greenhouse
emitting diodes are becoming a viable acidity, electrical conductivity, and tomato fruit quality was unaffected by
alternative to high-pressure sodium pH measurements. “Contrary to our both the type of supplemental lighting
supplementation. “There is great interest hypothesis, fruit quality was largely as well as supplemental lighting per se,”
in (LEDs) potential to influence the unaffected by direct, IC supplemental the scientists said. “Physicochemical
phytochemical and flavour profile of lighting,” the authors said. The study also measurements indicated only slight
various high-value crops,” they said. included sensory panels in which tasters variation among fruits grown under
“However, little fruit quality-attribute work ranked tomatoes for colour, acidity, and different lighting regimes, and these
with LEDs has been done on a long- sweetness using an objective scale. The findings were supported by nonsignificant
duration, full grow-out of tomatoes.” tasters were also asked to rank tomato differences in sensory attributes.”
9 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018
Tel: +27 31 311 5100 Fax: +27 31 465 4222
www.durban.gov.za/durbanfreshproducemarket
FRESHNESS FOR THE ZULU KINGDOMAbout those Israeli
tomatoes
“We develop seeds that cost more per ounce than gold, and
they depend on local knowledge,” says tomato expert Prof.
Haim D. Rabinowitch of the Hebrew University’s Institute
of Plant Science and Genetics in Agriculture. “Seeds are
knowledge. Everything I know is embedded in the DNA of the
seed.”
Did Israel invent the cherry derivative of non-GMO
tomato? tomatoes rich in the colorless
Prof. Rabinowitch of carotenoids phytoene and
Hebrew University claimed phytofluene, was developed
that he introduced better at Israeli Biotechnology
breeding for flavour and Research, a company
long shelf life which made acquired by Frutarom. Clinical
the cherry tomato mass- data show that ingested
marketable in the Western carotenoids accumulate in
world for the first time in the skin, delivering protection
history. These Israeli scientists against oxidative damage
also introduced cluster cherry and sun exposure, as well as Accordingly, the Israeli researchers are
tomatoes that are picked brightening and evening out
like bunches of grapes, the complexion, inhibiting the developing tomato seeds that withstand
because picking single cherry development of age spots and extreme heat and other problems caused
tomatoes is slow, expensive reducing inflammation and by climate change, such as increased
and labour-intensive. DNA damage. carbon dioxide levels and higher water
The lycopene aspect Hacking into the code of a
salinity.
Along with vitamins and tomato virus
minerals, tomatoes contain For the past three decades which is fast spreading across a specific mildew.
lycopene, the carotenoid of its nearly 100-year the world. TBRFV does not “Some insects, bacteria
phytonutrient that makes them existence, the Volcani Center affect human health but it and fungi survive the chemical
red. Lycopene is a powerful has focused on pre-breeding causes a 50% reduction in yield warfare, and viruses cannot
antioxidant beneficial for research that has become and the infected tomatoes are be controlled by pesticides.
the heart, blood pressure, internationally renowned. unattractive.They found a new So we try to load the tomato
prostate, bones and skin. “We look for positive traits source of resistance and are varieties with many genes for
The multinational company such as disease resistance also identifying the gene that resistance.”
Lycored was founded in and use genomics and controls TBRFV resistance, Helping tomatoes survive
Beersheva in 1995 to produce bioinformatics to develop very says Levin. climate change
lycopene-rich oil from extracts efficient ways to introduce Keeping pests off tomatoes Tomato scientists like
of Israel tomatoes. Working these traits into elite cultivars,” without chemicals Levin and Rabinowitch are
with scientists at the Hebrew says Levin, a Volcani scientist. We are constantly looking very troubled by the looming
University they cultivated an “Then we give the information for ways to keep insects and effects of global warming.
unique variety of non-GMO to the seed companies to pathogens away from crops “If you pick a mature,
tomato with higher lycopene produce elite tomatoes while reducing the need for green ripe tomato and put
content using genes identified resistant to diseases.” chemical sprays. it on your counter at room
at the Volcani Center. Seed companies, some One strategy is to breed temperature, it will turn red.
Improving skin health of which have centers in varieties that resist certain But if you put it in an incubator
Frutarom Industries is Israel, make use of Israeli diseases. “We incorporate at a temperature above 30
another multinational Israeli discoveries to enhance tomato eight to ten different genes degrees [Celsius] it will never
company making good use of flavour, nutritional profile in all today’s tomatoes that turn red because that’s above
tomato science. and disease resistance. give them a built-in resistance the maximum temperature for
The flavours and Volcani researchers identified mechanism so you don’t have the biosynthetic process of
fragrances giant recently tomato genes that contain to control the pathogens with lycopene [the tomato’s red
introduced PhytoflORAL, a more fructose than glucose. chemicals. But there are still pigment],” says Rabinowitch.
pure tomato powder-derived “Fructose tastes twice as sweet more pests than resistances,” If the surrounding temperature
ingredient ready to be put in as glucose,” Levin explains. Rabinowitch said. Other Israeli is above 29, a tomato flower
capsules, chewable tablets, Levin and fellow Volcani methods to keep bugs off will neither develop properly
drinks or pre-mix sachets scientist Moshe Lapidot are tomato plants include dense nor set fruit. And even slight
meant to improve skin health generating industry buzz for netting; sticky yellow and blue increases in temperature
and tone. The patented their research on cultivars plates (these colors attract vastly accelerate the lifecycle
cosmeceutical product, resistant to the tomato brown insects); and a particular of insects.
composed of a proprietary rugose fruit virus (TBRFV), shade of blue light to prevent
11 TAMATIENUUS • DESEMBER 2018You can also read
