To date, the only controls against ToBRFV have been strict phytosanitary measures, such as frequent crop rotations and additional cleaning, which have resulted in high labor costs. Now, Enza Zaden’s High Resistance (HREZ) is giving farmers a vital tool to tackle this devastating disease.
The growing range of HREZ varieties is available in Roma, beefsteak, grape, cherry, cocktail, and on the vine (TOV) tomato varieties. As the cultivar has completed its first season of commercial production in the Netherlands, Mexico, Canada and other major producing regions, it has been lauded for its strong performance, particularly in terms of delivering the quality and yield growers have come to expect from Enza Zaden.
HREZ actively inhibits virus progression
While resistant varieties are not a substitute for good phytosanitary controls, they provide additional confidence to growers. This is due in part to the unique resistance identified in HREZ cultivars, which effectively inhibit virus development in the plant under natural virus pressure. After the virus enters the HREZ tomato plant and begins to multiply, the plant’s defense system will be activated. As a result, the infected cell will be killed, thus preventing the spread of the disease.
From LR: Adrian Delgado – Salesperson Enza Zaden in central-southern Mexico and grower Antonio Enriquez look together at an indeterminate variety of high-resistant Cedros plum in a greenhouse in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. Image rights are waving for publishing purposes.
Just as carrots are isolated from diseases and pests, HREZ varieties severely limit the accumulation of viruses. This is why HREZ varieties are named after islands around the world,” explains Jean-François Thommin, Regional Marketing Director at Enza Zaden. Thommin adds that HREZ varieties have created a sense of comfort in the tomato industry. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel as growers now have the opportunity to make a comeback. to preferred planting dates and regular harvest cycles. In turn, growers, shippers and retailers can expect the return of predictable supply planning and consistent product quality, he says.
The efficacy of this unique resistance has been demonstrated in Dutch crops with greenhouse-grown HREZ cultivars located in areas known to have elevated ToBRFV stress. The same is true for commercial crops in Mexico and Canada, where growers are increasing their acreage of HREZ tomatoes this year as they become more familiar with HREZ varieties.
In Mexico, the availability of high resistance to ToBRFV has generated excitement among farmers and agronomists. “As a company, our goal is to offer farmers innovation and solutions, and it is an honor to be involved in the HREZ project that benefits not only farmers, but the entire supply chain of tomatoes, all the way to consumers,” says Enza Zaden Mexico Commercial Director, Antonio de Saenz.
Jaap Mazerio, CEO of Enza Zaden, commented: “As a family business, we have always stood shoulder to shoulder with partners to fulfill our ambition of providing people around the world with access to a wide range of healthy vegetables. We work to help producers grow. With HREZ, we can help producers achieve reliable profitability while ensuring a continuous supply of healthy vegetables.”
