Screening heart-shaped tomato cultivars for yield and quality performance in a short growing season

Abstract

Tomatoes are among the most widely produced and consumed vegetable crops in the world. Even in challenging environments, their high value is an incentive for their production. In Montana, tomato production is challenged by a short and unpredictable growing season. Despite these challenges, most of Montana's vegetable growers produce tomatoes because of their high value and strong consumer demand. Locally produced and heirloom tomatoes can be marketed at a premium price due to their exceptional flavor and appearance; however, the climatic challenges faced by growers in Montana make selecting productive and flavorful cultivars difficult. To provide growers with data on the performance of specialty open-pollinated tomato cultivars under short-season conditions, this project evaluated 71 heart-shaped, open-pollinated tomato cultivars in a high tunnel under organic management. This class of cultivars showed potential adaptability to colder growing conditions and was evaluated over two growing seasons for yield, earliness, and fruit quality traits, including firmness, titratable acidity (TA), and soluble solids content (°Brix). The varieties 'Cuore di Toro,' 'Strawberry,' 'Reif Red Heart,' 'Korol Sibiri,' and 'Siberian Pink Honey' performed well with respect to both yield and quality traits in both years. Results from this trial will provide growers with data to support cultivar selection for flavorful and productive tomatoes within this market class.