Breeding for bland fruits

[nicollas]

Well, they propose an explanation for a potential causation, and it is not the first time i've read this. Another possible cause is that the jointless cut the relation between fruit and the plant so impairing beneficial connection

[travis]

Originally Posted by nicollas

Well, they propose an explanation for a potential causation, and it is not the first time i've read this. Another possible cause is that the jointless cut the relation between fruit and the plant so impairing beneficial connection

Sorry, but I do not understand this statement. It could be confusion in translation.

I don't see how jointless pedicels can "cut the relationship" between the vine and the fruit, but quite the contrary, seems it will give a more uninterrupted path between the vine and the fruit.

[travis]

Okay, I looked it up, and found a citation from Dr. Jay Scott, University of Florida tomato breeder, who indicated that taste tests of several varieties of jointless pedicel tomatoes returned the comment of "bland," and that it is assumed that without the smaller cells of a jointed pedicel the flow of water into the fruit is not as well regulated, and poorly regulated flow of water into the fruit (I guess during irrigation or from rainfall) may be responsible for watered down flavor.

[travis]

I happen to grow one jointless pedicel tomato variety, Monte Verde from NCSU, and think it has decent flavor (not bland at all) for a fully determinate, full size, red commercial tomato.

I've crossed Monte Verde with both Neptune and with Mozark x Sioux, and have gotten a few segregating, jointed lines that have decent tomato flavor, and a few others that indeed are bland.

However, I just this year got my first segregate that is jointless, from Monte Verde x Neptune, but my growing season was so bad, and the plant was grown in 7-gallon tree tub, so I am not able to report on what its potential flavor will be.

[nicollas]

It is not a confusion from translation Travis, but it was a mistake of misunderstanding what the jointless pedical is impacting on the plant.

[nicollas]

Ok so from the several comments, only u (and ripening inhibitors of course) are very detrimental, the others may impact the flavor but not in a dramatic way

[travis]

Originally Posted by nicollas

Ok so from the several comments, only u (and ripening inhibitors of course) are very detrimental, the others may impact the flavor but not in a dramatic way

I think several breeders are working on reintroducing flavor genetics into lines that also carry uniform ripening, delayed ripening, high crimson, and jointed pedicels.

This work is ongoing, and results are judged by taste testing panels. For example, Tasti-Lee carries uniform ripening, delayed ripening, and full crimson genetics, and has been rated by taste testing panels as superior to other "grocery store" tomato varieties. Personally, while I find Tasti-Lee to be only slightly superior in flavor to other commonly marketed supermarket types, it does have some superior characteristics with regard to appearance and shelf life when compared to commonly available "heirloom types" found in supermarkets. But Tasti-Lee falls well short of many heirlooms that all of us have grown successfully for years.

As I said earlier, I have one variety that I use to attain jointless pedicels in full size, fresh market, red tomato lines that I currently am working on. And those are lines that I hope to stabilize for subtropical fresh market types.

Another problem with jointless pedicels is those with rounded shoulder, or high round shapes, tend to show more cuticle cracking (weather check) than flat round shapes with the more fluted shoulders. So, when breeding for fresh market, jointless pedicels, you may wish to cross to beefsteak shapes and flattened round shapes with ruffled or fluted shoulders to breed away from the cuticle cracking that also leads to concentric cracking.