Improving Organic Vegetable Production by Identifying Adapted Tomato Varieties and Laying the Framework for a Participatory Breeding Program.

Improving organic vegetable production by identifying adapted tomato varieties and laying the framework for a participatory breeding program Hoagland, L., Navazio, J., Lahner, B., Kaplan, I., Gibson, K., Maynard, L. Abstract. Organic vegetable growers in the Midwest need adapted tomato varieties that can overcome production challenges. These varieties also must have desirable market characteristics. Significant effort has been expended developing new broadly adapted varieties resistant to disease and insect pests, but there are no regional fresh market tomato breeding programs and little effort has been spent selecting varieties specifically adapted to organic farming challenges or to meet consumer demand for superior taste and nutritional quality. Our team has collaborated with local growers to identify plant traits that optimize organic and low-input conventional production. We have screened a wide set of germplasm to select varieties best adapted to local organic systems, and have begun selecting improved material from segregating populations. Traits of interest include early vigor, Early Blight (Alternari solani) resistance, Tomato Hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) tolerance, yield, crack resistance, flavor and nutritional quality. Associations between selected varieties and beneficial soil fungi are being explored. Our long-term goal is to use varieties identified in these trials as parent material in a participatory breeding program to obtain improved germplasm. This study complements on-going research efforts focused on identification of best management practices for organic tomato systems that enhance productivity and sustainability.