New varieties aim to bring high resistance to ToBRFV

Enza Zaden offers 18 varieties with High Resistance to Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). The varieties are available in all significant tomato types and do not compromise on taste, yield, or quality, according to the company. 

Until now, the only controls against ToBRFV have been strict phytosanitary measures, such as more frequent crop rotations and extra cleaning, resulting in higher labor costs. Now, High Resistance from Enza Zaden (HREZ) offers growers a vital tool to tackle this devastating disease. 

The growing collection of HREZ varieties is available in roma, beef, grape, cherry, cocktail, and tomatoes-on-the-vine (TOV) tomato types. As the varieties complete their first season of commercial production in The Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, and other key production regions, their strong performance has been applauded, particularly in terms of delivering the quality and yield that growers expect from Enza Zaden. 

HREZ actively blocks the progression of the virus 
While resistant varieties are not a substitute for good phytosanitary controls, they provide additional confidence to growers. This is partly due to the unique resistance identified in HREZ varieties, which actively blocks the progression of the virus in the plant under normal virus pressure. After the virus enters an HREZ tomato plant and starts replicating, the plant defense system will be activated. As a result, the infected cell will be killed, thereby preventing the disease from spreading.   

From L-R: Adrian Delgado – Sales Rep. Enza Zaden at Central South Mexico and grower Antonio Enriquez looking together at High Resistance indeterminate plum variety Cedros in a greenhouse in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. Image rights are waved for publication purposes.  

“Just as islands are insulated from diseases and pests, HREZ varieties highly restrict virus accumulation. This is why HREZ varieties are named after islands around the world,” explains Jean-François Thomin, Regional Marketing Manager at Enza Zaden. Thomin adds that HREZ varieties have created a sense of relief in the tomato industry. “There is light at the end of the tunnel as growers now have a chance to return to preferred planting dates and regular harvest cycles. In turn, growers, shippers, and retailers can expect a return to predictable supply planning and consistent product quality,” he says. 

The effectiveness of this unique resistance was illustrated in Dutch crops with HREZ varieties grown in greenhouses located in areas known for high ToBRFV pressure. The same is true of commercial crops in Mexico and Canada, where growers are increasing their area of HREZ tomatoes this year as they become more familiar with the HREZ varieties. 

In Mexico, the availability of High Resistance to ToBRFV has created excitement amongst growers and agronomists. “As a company, our goal is to bring innovation and solutions to growers, and it is a privilege to be involved in the HREZ project that benefits not just growers, but the whole tomato supply chain, all the way to consumers,” says Enza Zaden Mexico Commercial Director, Antonio De Sainz. 

Jaap Mazereeuw, Chief Executive Officer at Enza Zaden, comments: “As a family business, we have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with partners in realizing our ambition of providing people all over the world with access to a wide range of healthy vegetables. We work to help producers grow. With HREZ, we can help producers achieve reliable profitability while ensuring a continuous supply of healthy vegetables.”