Tomatoes are the most widely consumed vegetable in Switzerland, with a per capita consumption of over 10 kg per year. Switzerland produces about 50,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year, which represents about 50% of the annual tomato consumption of 100,000 tonnes.
ToBRFV (Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus) is a regulated organism that has been present in Switzerland since 2021. If it is detected on a grower's premises, the financial consequences are particularly serious, as the grower has to stop all production and disinfect the premises, which is very expensive.
Since 2023, seed companies that breed tomato varieties have marketed several varieties that are resistant to ToBRFV. These varieties have not been subjected to any agronomic or commercial evaluation. The aim of this project is therefore to create a systematic network for the Swiss vegetable industry to coordinate and carry out variety testing of tomatoes resistant to ToBRFV. This study will take into account the interests of all stakeholders in the sector (producers, consumers, marketers, umbrella organisations, etc.) and will cover both conventional and organic production systems.
Agroscope Research Centre Conthey
Project partner
