The tomatoes that growers love now come with multigene virus resistance that can offer the protection they need.
Vegetables by Bayer, through their brand De Ruiter, has commercialized five new varieties in Canada and the U.S. — three new TOV varieties: Serenity, Luminity and Grandice RES, along with two new beef varieties, Riboski and DRTH5075, according to a news release. These new offerings feature resistance to tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), which means dependable protection without compromising on the high quality that growers expect from De Ruiter.
These five new varieties feature a science-backed shield that incorporates multiple resistance genes. These genes disrupt various stages of plant-virus interaction, offering enhanced protection while maintaining quality. Four of the five new varieties — Serenity, Luminity, Grandice RES and Riboski — also feature the FULLRED interiors, meaning a bold red interior to add appeal.
Here is a breakdown of all five new varieties.
Serenity — Serenity has a compact, balanced plant habit with strong vigor and high yield potential. The FULLRED variety has large, high-quality fruits produced on trusses with good shape. To help meet market demands for larger fruit size, Serenity has an average fruit weight of 190 to 220 grams.
Luminity — Luminity is the perfect complement to Serenity for growers looking for a slightly smaller fruit size. This fast-setting variety produces shiny, FULLRED fruits with good quality, excellent uniformity and shape. Luminity has an average fruit weight of 160 to 170 grams and has demonstrated good shelf-life.
Grandice RES — The company says Grandice RES takes the variety you’ve always counted on and makes it even stronger. This conversion variety brings to life the Grandice variety that growers love, with its high yield potential and high quality, now with multigene resistance to ToBRFV. With its strong plant, Grandice RES delivers large, glossy FULLRED fruits in both fall-lit and year-round unlit crops.
Riboski — The big Riboski is not just a name, it’s a statement, the company says. Riboski delivers an extra-large, FULLRED beefsteak tomato that stands out in the market. It offers multigene ToBRFV resistance and intermediate resistance to powdery mildew. Riboski produces shiny, high-quality fruit with distinct ribbing that has demonstrated the ability to maintain marketable fruit size even during summer heat.
DRTH5075 — For growers who value the uniform, round, high-quality fruits and good yield potential of the De Ruiter beefsteak tomato Touché, DRTH5075 is a Touché-conversion featuring multigene intermediate resistance to ToBRFV. This beefsteak tomato brings good-quality, smooth, round fruits showing little to no ribbing and a large size growers can enjoy.
“Our R&D teams have been working tirelessly to bring high-quality varieties that customers have known and trust from De Ruiter genetics with added multigene resistance to help keep their crop healthy all season,” says Stephanie Poletti, protected culture Canada/U.S. marketing lead for vegetables by Bayer. “At Bayer, we work with growers to identify their biggest challenges, such as ToBRFV, and leverage our robust research, development and breeding programs to provide tailored solutions without sacrificing quality.”
The company says Serenity, Luminity, Grandice RES, Riboski and DRTH5075 join the other high-performing varieties in the De Ruiter tomato portfolio.
