Heirloom vs. Hybrid Tomatoes on Plastic Mulch

摘要

The heirloom tomato market has taken off, according to William H. Tietjen of the Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension, Warren County, N.J., but not without its challenges. One is the lack of any disease resistance, the researcher told those attending the Empire State Fruit Vegetable Expo Tomato, Pepper and Eggplant Session Feb. 15 in Syracuse, N..Y. Fungicides must be applies almost weekly. Due to the fact that about 50 percent of the seed purchased fails to germinate, extra seed must be purchased in order to come up with a productive stand, he said. That, in itself, is costly. Growers also must cope with plenty of heirloom quality problems, including cracks that open the fruit up to disease organisms and uneven surfaces that frequently areless than eye-appealing.