February 2011

Source: AVRDC newsletter

After several years of development and two years of testing, nine new vegetable varieties, seven of which are indigenous vegetables, were released on 1 February 2011 in Tanzania. AVRDC breeders worked with local farmers, government researchers, and the public and private sector to select, test and evaluate breeding lines for release as stable varieties. Tanzania’s Horticultural Research and Training Institute (HORTI-Tengeru) and Agricultural Seed Agency will now handle the maintenance of the varieties.

Top tomatoes

Two AVRDC tomato lines, LBR 6 and LBR 11, were released under new names ‘Duluti’ and ‘Tengeru 2010,’ respectively. These varieties have resistance to early and late blight diseases, which limit production of common varieties in cool wet weather; the new varieties have the potential to bridge the seasonality gap in tomato production by allowing farmers to grow tomato during the off-season. The yields are comparatively higher than ‘Marglobe’ and other traditionally grown varieties, especially under cool wet weather. The relatively firm fruit can be transported long distances; it is an excellent choice for the fresh market but can also be used for processing. Fruit is large and preferred in some neighboring countries, presenting opportunities for export. Heavy foliage covers the fruit, protecting it from sun-scald and bird damage.

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Website: https://avrdc.org/

Published: February 11, 2011