In October 2020 Enza Zaden announced the discovery of the High Resistance gene to ToBRFV. The one and only solution to beat this devastating tomato virus.
Fast forward to today, one year later: what has happened in the past year? Where are we now? And what is yet to come?
What is ToBRFV?
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) is a plant virus in the genus “Tobamovirus”. Since it was first discovered in Israel in 2014, the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) has spread to parts of Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and continues to easily spread via mechanical transmission. Symptoms on the fruits include yellow spots, wrinkled patches and brown scars that render the crop unsellable.
Enza Zaden has achieved a major breakthrough in the fight against ToBRFV, a highly contagious tomato virus that threatens grower livelihoods and the agri-food industry worldwide. Our tomato breeding team identified gene providing high levels of resistance against the devastating ToBRFV.
A lot at stake
This resistance to ToBRFV virus will improve the revenue of the growers and secure the supply of healthy food to consumers (tomato as one of the most popular vegetables).
What's the difference between IR & HR?
In short: HR is superior to IR.
Two levels of resistance are defined:
I. High resistance (HR): Plant varieties that highly restrict the growth and development of the specified pest or pathogen under normal pest or pathogen pressure when compared to susceptible varieties. These plant varieties may, however, exhibit some symptoms or damage under heavy pest or pathogen pressure.
II. Intermediate resistance (IR): Plant varieties that restrict the growth and development of the specified pest or pathogen, but may exhibit a greater range of symptoms or damage compared to highly resistant varieties. Intermediately resistant plant varieties will still show less severe symptoms or damage than susceptible plant varieties when grown under similar environmental conditions and/or pest or pathogen pressure.
Will you introduce this resistance globally?
YES!
We will introduce this HR resistance to ToBRFV worldwide. Enza Zaden is a globally active company providing innovative varieties and solutions to customers all over the globe.
