Method for breeding tomatoes having reduced water content and product of the method

Abstract

A method for breeding tomato plants that produce tomatoes with reduced fruit water content including the steps of crossing at least one Lycopersicon esculentum plant with a Lycopersicon spp. to produce hybrid seed, collecting the first generation of hybrid seeds, growing plants from the first generation of hybrid seeds, pollinating the plants of the most recent hybrid generation, collecting the seeds produced by the most recent hybrid generation, growing plants from the seeds of the most recent hybrid generation, allowing plants to remain on the vine past the point of normal ripening, and screening for reduced fruit water content as indicated by extended preservation of the ripe fruit and wrinkling of the fruit skin.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a method for breeding tomatoes having reduced water content and / or with the trait of drying while still attached to the vine, and to tomatoes having reduced water content and to products of the method. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Dehydrated tomato products comprise an important portion of the tomato industry. The production of tomato pastes, ketchup and other processed tomato products is dependent on the energy-requiring steps of dehydration. The production of “sun-dried” tomato products consists of dehydrating cut tomato fruit either in the sun or in drying ovens. [0003] Dry matter content of mature tomato fruit can range from approximately 5-10% (Davies, J. N. and Hobson, G. E. 1981. The constituents of tomato fruit—the influence of environment, nutrition and genotype. CRC Critical Reviews in Food Sci and Nutr. 15:205-280), depending largely on fruit size. Generally, processing tomato cultivars produce mature fr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The present invention seeks to provide a method for breeding tomatoes having fruit that naturally dehydrate while still attached to the tomato plant and thus have a reduced water content, and to tomatoes having reduced water content and to products of the method.

[0010] The development of tomato varieties with the trait of naturally dehydrating while still attached to the vine, without the accompaniment of degradative processes leading to fruit breakdown is highly valuable to the various components of the tomato industry. It can contribute to reduction of processing costs and energy expenditures in the production of pastes, sauces and ketchups. It can contribute to the production of high quality dried and semi-dried (raisin-type) tomato products. It can contribute to the improvement of tomato fruit transport since the volume of transported material will be decreased. It can improve the storage ability of the tomato fruit since reduced water content will be accompanied by increased soluble solids concentration which contributes to the resistance to microbial spoilage.

[0011] There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for breeding tomato plants that produce tomatoes with reduced fruit water content including the steps of crossing at least one Lycopersicon esculentum plant with a Lycopersicon spp. to produce hybrid seed, collecting the first generation of hybrid seeds, growing plants from the first generation of hybrid seeds, pollinating the plants of the most recent hybrid generation, collecting the seeds produced by the most recent hybrid generation, growing plants from the seeds of the most recent hybrid generation, allowing plants to remain on the vine past the point of normal ripening, and screening for reduced fruit water content as indicated by extended preservation of the ripe fruit and wrinkling of the fruit skin.

Problems solved by technology

However, tomatoes will generally undergo degradation if they remain on the vine after ripening.

There are disadvantages to sun-drying since it depends on weather conditions and inclement weather leads to losses.

Similarly, there are disadvantages to the use of drying ovens as these are energy consuming.

Both sun drying and oven drying may lead to losses in food quality.

Furthermore, the necessity to cut the tomato fruit in half before the drying process does not allow for the production of whole dried tomato fruit.