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Pazit, a late blight resistant greenhouse tomato variety from Hazera Genetics


Israel
February 15, 2012

For several years late blight, caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans, has caused devastating damage to tomato crops grown in Israel. The disease is particularly prevalent in nethouses and greenhouses during the autumn, the winter and the spring, when there are high humidity conditions in the greenhouses. The disease spreads rapidly under these conditions and this requires frequent applications of pesticides. In recent years new races of the fungus have emerged which are more resistant to the pesticides currently on the market. Inaccurate pest control can, in extreme cases, lead to the loss of the entire yield. Late blight is a serious problem in the age of “green” agriculture, which aims to reduce the quantities of pesticides used, to make the transition to using environmentally friendly substances and to eventually reach the stage where no artificial sprays are used on crops.

Hazera’s team of researchers, headed by Dr. Ron Ecker (the author) and Dr. Yaniv Rotem, has recently developed a number of tomato varieties with genetic resistance to tomato blight. The resistance was transferred to cultured tomatoes of wild tomato species through a natural process of hybridization and selections which lasted many years. The intensity of the resistance was tested by exposure to a large number of races of fungi under severe infection conditions, both in the laboratory and in the greenhouse. It must be remembered that resistance to late blight is not absolute. Under severe infection conditions symptoms of late blight may appear even on resistant varieties. However, the resistance provides very effective protection against late blight under reasonable field conditions and enables a considerable reduction in the use of artificial pesticides.

Of the varieties that were developed by Hazera’s team of researchers for a range of markets around the world that suffer from blight, Pazit is a variety that was developed especially for the Israeli market. The variety was adapted to the growing conditions of greenhouse tomatoes in Israel during the autumn, winter and the spring. This variety has a high quality fruit – firm, regular and deep red color – weighs 200-250 grams, high yield, and has resistances to Verticilium, Fusarium races 1 and 2, TMV, Cladosporium, Nematodes, and to TYLCV. The variety is suitable for grafting on Hazera’s Resistar tomato rootstock. Other varieties resistant to Late Blight such as HA-3295, HA-3478 were developed for other markets.

Pazit is the ideal solution for farmers that suffer from the problem of late blight and want to grow high quality greenhouse tomatoes while cutting down on the use of pesticides.

by Dr. Ron Ecker



More news from: Hazera Seeds Ltd.


Website: http://www.hazera.com

Published: February 15, 2012

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