In the last 10 years the tomato market has been through some huge changes. These are due to a change from product-driven supply towards consumer-led demand. No longer is the success of a variety judged by its productivity, but rather by how well it meets the requirements of the consumer. This has led to more attention to the presentation of the product, more segmentation and new developments in the supply chain. Environmental aspects, increased importance of certain pathogens and the growing demand for quality require the industry to improve itself constantly.
The players in the market must be flexible and keep up with the rapid pace of development. This is illustrated by the way in which the tomato sector has proliferated at the retail level.
The recent Syngenta Tomato Conference in Alicante revealed that the consumer in a UK supermarket can be faced with a choice of up to two dozen different tomato products. Whether such a broad choice can be justified is another question, but for as long as such numbers are seen to be required, the industry has to respond.
The first step down this road was taken at the beginning of the 1990s when a specific demand for taste in tomatoes was first recognised. This was met with the introduction of new, better tasting varieties such as Pannovy. This introduced a point of difference. The bulk of the offer was still based on volume, but the new segment was based on taste. Taste is but one aspect of quality and very soon it became apparent that retailers wanted a high quality product, for which, in those days, they were prepared to pay a premium.
This was important as most of the new varieties which were considered high quality were also lower in yield. This gave an immediate goal for the seed industry to produce higher quality varieties with a higher yield, for it was inevitable that the premium payment would reduce over time.
Retailers saw the attraction of this higher margin segment and began to ask for other products that not only maintained high quality, but also had a visual link to that quality. This led the seed companies to begin to develop a more diverse range of tomatoes for production in northern and southern Europe but for delivery into the UK retail stores all-year round.
The process that started with the addition of the cherry tomato quickly snowballed to the present situation where diversity is exemplified by all combinations of size, shape, colour, type and presentation. While there may be two dozen different products on the shelves, there are many times that number in development and waiting in the wings.
The seed industry cannot ever rest on its laurels, development has to continue to enable consumer demands to be met. This means, more than ever, being aware of what the market demands, both now and in the future. This has had an effect on the way seed companies go about developing new varieties and their contact with customers. However the basis on which to develop these new varieties has remained the same.
The main focus for breeding is on criteria related to yield, fruit quality and disease resistance. Breeding a tomato variety brings together the best of a wide range of these and other properties into one superior product; the F1 hybrid. This is a long-term process and every commercial hybrid has a long history of selection, screening and testing.
From a variable genetic pool, individual plants are chosen generation after generation to provide the uniform parent lines which eventually go to make the new hybrids.
The best of these new hybrids are tested extensively over several years and in different locations to select the very best. Only the hybrids that prove to be an addition to, or an improvement on, the existing assortment on the market survive this process. In the terms of today's market, for a new variety to be a success it does not, necessarily, have to be better tomato per se than existing varieties. It does have to meet the requirements of the consumer more closely.
The grower cannot be forgotten in all of this, for the new varieties, together with improved horticultural techniques, have to enable growers to get more out of their resources.
As innovation is also a prime requirement of the retailer, a seed company is always searching for the products that are different enough to make a difference.
In spite of the drive towards continued quality improvement, yield is an ever-present factor as it is one of the means towards reducing production costs. But considering fruit quality; as well as a firm tomato with good shelf-life, the demand for good taste continues to grow strongly over the years.
Thorough research has given us an insight into the different components determining taste and texture of the tomato. The use of consumer panels has clarified the relationship between certain tomato characteristics and consumer acceptance. Putting these together has enabled us to focus even more on breeding an excellent tasting tomato that keeps its firmness and shelf life.
One important aspect of quality is absence of disease both in the plant and on the fruit. As the availability of pesticides is reduced for all crops, so the possibility of a chemical solution becomes less. Combine this with the fact that many growers, particularly in the UK, voluntarily adopt a policy of minimal chemical use. The result is a strong demand for seed companies to provide pest and disease tolerance as part of the genetic package. This has been achieved successfully in the past by the use of wild tomato relatives in the breeding program. These have introduced resistance to various pathogens into commercial tomato varieties helping to reduce the use of chemical compounds in horticulture.
However, the present day situation is more complicated due to the fact that not only are there more strains of the diseases to contend with, but the resistance mechanism against them relies on several genes. This makes the concept of resistance more problematic and longer term. So it is better to talk of tolerances rather than resistances, as you never know when a new strain is going to come along and negate your resistance. In spite of this, progress is made and Syngenta is starting to introduce new material for southern Europe that has good levels of tolerance to TYLCV combined with good commercial qualities. This tolerance will be incorporated into breeding programmes for all tomato types, as will tolerance to powdery mildew that has recently been introduced to new varieties in northern Europe.
With today's attitude towards breeding, the limit has not yet been reached. New insights in breeding will have to prove their value in meeting the high quality standards set by the market.
All parties will benefit from an active participation of seed companies in the supply chain, which will lead to a strong relationship between genetics, grower and market.
No comments yet