More 'pointy' tomatoes at Tatiana's - Legenda Tarasenko

[Tania]

The thread about Monomakh's Hat tomato reminded me to post pictures of another 'pointy' tomato that was a late blight survivor this year in my garden.

This is a Russian variety called 'Legenda Tarasenko' (a.k.a. Tarasenko's Legend).

Quite good and very prolific, multiflora type.

[carolyn137]

Tania, I'm just curious but why all the Tarasenko numbered varieties as well as the one you just pictured as Legend. The Legend one is a multiflora. Are any of the other numbered ones?

Are these Tarasenko's from a tomato breeder, amateur or professional and are they sold at seed sites in the CIS or elsewhere?

Just curious, as I said above.

The only one I see most folks referring to is the Taresenko # 6. Is Tarasenko an area or town or city somewhere. Better to ask you than to run to Google.

[Tania]

Carolyn,

I am aware of the following tomatoes bred by Fedor Tarasenko, a Ukrainian amateur breeder:

- Tarasenko 6 (known as Hybrid 6)
- Hybrid 2 Tarasenko (=Tarasenko 2)
- Legenda Tarasenko (could be the original Yubileynyi Tarasenko, as described by Tarasenko himself)
- Yubileinyi Tarasenko (what is sold commercially today does not match Tarasenko's original description)
- Hybrid Tarasenko (likely what is known as 'Hybrid 1' or 'Hybrid 2' or 'Hybrid 6' in Russia)
- Podarok Polesiu (not available commercially)

There could be others, obviously.

Yubileinyi Tarasenko is still sold commercially in Russian and Ukraine, but I am not sure they sell the original, that was bred by Tarasenko from his Hybrid 1 (round oblate red 6-10 oz) and Hybrid 2 (longkeeper), and San Marzano - as Tarasenko described it as multiflora.

I am concluding this from reading the article written by Tarasenko himself.
[Google translated]: http://translate.google.com/translat...26prmd%3Dimvns
*Note: 'Yubileynyi' translates as 'Jubilee'

Similar description is given by the Russian tomato website http://sorta.h12.ru

I also believe that what Tarasenko called 'Hybrid 6' is what we know today as 'Tarasenko 6'. Obviously after Tarasenko passed away, someone added 'Tarasenko' to the variety names.

I know that Legenda Tarasanko is still grown in Russia - I saw it mentioned in several Russian newspaper articles (see http://translate.google.com/translat...26prmd%3Dimvns, the second picture - translated as 'Legend')

I also came across a determinate version of 'Legenda Tarasenko' (vended by GL Seeds), but I believe this cannot be correct, as Fedor Tarasenko specialized in breeding indeterminate varieties, as he mentioned in his article.

So we have a 'mess' (renaming and mixups) typical for some Russian/Ukrainian tomatoes, and it is obvious to me that the mess was started by the Russian and Ukrainian commercial seed vendors. Sigh.

To summarize, I think that 'Legenda Tarasenko' may be the original 'Yubileynyi Tarasenko' as bred and described by Fedor Tarasenko.

Edit: it is also possible that Legenda Tarasenko was a further selection from Yubileynyi Tarasenko for longer 'nipples'.

[Tania]

I found another piece of information about Tarasenko hybrids, written by an old lady at one of Russian forums in 2006. She said that there are also less known hybrids bred by Tarasenko - Hybrid 3, Hybrid 4, and Hybrid 35.

Sounds like Tarasenko loved numbering his creations

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Tania

I found another piece of information about Tarasenko hybrids, written by an old lady at one of Russian forums in 2006. She said that there are also less known hybrids bred by Tarasenko - Hybrid 3, Hybrid 4, and Hybrid 35.

Sounds like Tarasenko loved numbering his creations

So are the hybrids really F1 hybrids or are they OP? Again, I'm speaking to the most popular one of #6 which folks are representing as an OP.

I see one variety named Podarok_______ and I received that one from Andrey this past Spring but just written as Podarok. I don't have my notes here but I think what I saw and tasted was a small orange heart.

And Podarok would then have been bred by this same man?

Thanks for all the info Tania, you know how much I like to know the backgrounds and origins of tomato varieties.

I was at you site last night looking at White Zebra but no history, and there is one if you'd like me to send it to you but most of it, not all, is in the SSE listings.

[Tania]

Carolyn,

I am pretty sure that what is currently sold commercially under various 'Tarasenko' names are OPs, not F1s. I think the reason Tarasenko called them 'hybrids' is because he bred them by crossing other varieties. Plus 'hybrid' was a very much loved qualifier in the Soviet Union back the 80-90s.

Carolyn, was your 'Podarok' labelled 'Podarok Fei' by any chance? (http://www.ailita.ru/e_mag900/p1/st6275.html)

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Tania

Carolyn,

I am pretty sure that what is currently sold commercially under various 'Tarasenko' names are OPs, not F1s. I think the reason Tarasenko called them 'hybrids' is because he bred them by crossing other varieties. Plus 'hybrid' was a very much loved qualifier in the Soviet Union back the 80-90s.

Carolyn, was your 'Podarok' labelled 'Podarok Fei' by any chance? (http://www.ailita.ru/e_mag900/p1/st6275.html)

I haven't checked my notebook or Andreys label on the seeds but yes, what you show is an orange heart so maybe that's it.

Can you tell from the description what size they say it is and I assume RL, and also assume indet, but don't know the last for sure b'c Freda takes care of those traits for me and I can't be certain.

I only have had two fruits so far, both were quite small, both orange hearts but were more blunt than more pointed as shown in the picture.

But hearts can, as you know, show differences based on weather and the weather here has been lousy all summer long.

When I get a chance to look at my notebook I can tell you more if there was another word after the word Podarok that I wrote in my notebook when looking at the label's of all the different varieties I got from Andrey this past Spring.

And good thing that one of the folks who is doing seed production for me is also growing it and all the others I'm trying to grow as well as some from last year where the seeds were not viable from being fermented when it was too hot. And of course I didn't know that until I listed those seeds in my seed offer and saw that the seeds were not good. he's doing his fermentations this year in his air conditioned office.

This AM I set up the only two fermentations I'm going to set up, and that for a couple of reasons. One was ONE fruit of Kukla's Portuguese Beefsteak, to date, and the other was ONE fruit from the Orange Minsk Heart, which appears to have come true from seeds sent to me.

There's still quite a few green ones out there and it was raining so hard when Freda was here this AM she only brought in two new ones. I couldn't read what she tried to write on the one but Herb, who comes to my home to cut my hair could, and it was Heshpole. The other one is up in the air but I got a few letters from the name and will try to match them up with my Master List.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

But hearts can, as you know, show differences based on weather and the weather here has been lousy all summer long.

does this mean hearts are more likely to exhibit this than other shapes?

if you saw my "2 out of 3 crappy seasons" thread you know i have not had a good bull's heart yet this season and even wes (!) was been lousy! wes? lousy? i did not think those 2 words could ever be together unless separated by the words "can't ever be"!

and as far as pointed tomatoes, it's all solanum lycopersicum fun until someone gets their eye poked out, now stop running with that fruit!

tom

[Tania]

Originally Posted by tjg911

and as far as pointed tomatoes, it's all solanum lycopersicum fun until someone gets their eye poked out, now stop running with that fruit!

tom

Tom, I think hearts are likely more variable and dependent on weather conditions. Same as bicolors. They vary from mealy and crunchy to meaty and great tasting.

This was the **worst** year for me, and I got the sweetest ever fruit from the dead Gold Medal plant. I think the sugars developed because the plant was stressed. There were 2 fruits on the bare stem that ripened, and they were the best I ever had. Super sweet.

[Tania]

Carolyn,

Re 'Podarok Fei' tomato - the commercial description says it is a det., orange hearts, 90-110 grams.

[salix]

Tom, you are just full of beans tonight!

Tania, thank you for all your research/translation work to get us such histories.

[Tania]

I added 'Legenda Tarasenko' to my 2012 seed catalog, it is now available for ordering. I hope you will enjoy this cute tomato

[delltraveller]

I don't know why, but there's something really attractive about such "pointy-ness". Maybe it's because it sets them apart from the crowd and all their roundness and soft edges. Maybe it's that they look like gnome hats. It's probably the gnome hats.

[Elizabeth]

It's definitely the gnome hats factor for me.

[Sherry_AK]

Originally Posted by tjg911

and as far as pointed tomatoes, it's all solanum lycopersicum fun until someone gets their eye poked out, now stop running with that fruit!

tom

You crack me up!