Syngenta’s new Barosor gives growers another way to ward off the persistent virus, alongside the company’s ToBRFV-resistant beefsteak variety called Lansor, which was introduced in December.
As a virulent virus poses a growing threat to tomato crops around the world, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds has expanded its line of tomatoes resistant to the disease.
With the introduction of a new beefsteak tomato, the Barosor, Syngenta now has two tomato varieties resistant to the highly transmittable Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV).
The virus, which first emerged in Israel in 2014, has spread to fields and greenhouses across the Middle East, Europe, Mexico, North America and other parts of the world. It damages the quality and yield of tomato crops and has forced the temporary shutdown of some major greenhouse operations.
Syngenta’s new Barosor, which will be available this summer in time for fall planting, gives growers another way to ward off the persistent virus, alongside the company’s ToBRFV-resistant beefsteak variety called Lansor, which was introduced in December.
Lansor is already being planted in Middle East and Mediterranean countries where the virus emerged, and it is proving effective. “There’s clear evidence that the resistance works,” says Ruud Kaagman, Syngenta’s global crop unit head for tomatoes.
Amid the widening threat, there is strong demand for the virus-fighting seeds, Kaagman says. “Growers are very eager to change to these resistant varieties.”
The global market for tomato seeds is estimated at $1.2 billion. The value of the worldwide tomato industry, including marketing, distribution and sales, is nearly $200 billion. Syngenta, the world’s second-leading supplier, offers more than 350 varieties of seeds across 35 segments, including beefsteak, plum, cherry and specialties.
The two new beefsteak varieties are the first in what is expected to be an expanding line of ToBRFV-resistant tomatoes for Syngenta. “Broad resistance will be built in the portfolio during the next several years,” says Kaagman.
