The hybrid evolution of Agi Red

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

We have a new tomato variety - Agi Red

It is a little red tomato with yellow stripes. Fruits start out saladette size and end up cherry size late in the season.

Fruit flavor is well balanced and bright.

The fruits hold well on the vine and off the vine, however unlike many long-shelf-life varieties, they are not rubbery or crunchy.

It is a tomato that growers and gardeners will love, specifically because it has very high end flavor, in fruits that are consistently good for an extended period after harvest.

Agi Red is a hybrid and this balance of fruit characteristics -- Gourmet flavor and texture, with long shelf life and heavy production -- is something we have not accomplished with our OP varieties (Blush, Sunrise Bumblebee, Lucky Tiger etc.). All of our OP varieties have very good flavor, but deficiencies in shelf-life.

I would not say that it it is impossible to get an OP with the balance of fruit characteristics that Agi Red has. But my experience tells me that it would be much, much more difficult to do so.

Over the course of breeding many OP varieties and now hybrids like Agi Red, I have learned not to assume that OP varieties can be everything that hybrids can be. I still grow, appreciate and develop new OP varieties. But I also appreciate the unique things that hybrids can be, particularly for small growers, like myself, who need to consistently deliver fruits with high end flavor to customers.

Agi Red is a tomato I have been trying to breed for over 15 years, and I do not believe it would have happened if my thinking about hybrids had not evolved.

Labradors2 · September 5, 2019

Thanks for mentioning that it's not crunchy. You have my attention

. It sounds wonderful! (You forgot to mention about disease resistance here and that's a big plus for many of us!)

How do you spell the name again?

Linda

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

Disease resistance has been very good over the past 3 years in our field, and collaborators in Belgium and Upstate NY said it performed very well for them this year in pretty tough conditions.

That's all we know for now. No specific resistances are claimed at this time.

The name is Agi Red. It was Aga Red for a couple of days before I learned that "Agi" is a better translation of "Baby" from Korean, compared to "Aga".

bower · September 5, 2019

Would love to see some pics of the Baby, Fred.

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by bower

Would love to see some pics of the Baby, Fred.

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

Agi Red

Barb_FL · September 5, 2019

It's very pretty. InDeterminate or determinate?

Wispy foliage?

Thick or thin skin? Do you notice the skin when eating it?

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

Indeterminate

Regular leaf.

Not wispy foliage.

Vigorous plants.

Not thick skin. Not super thin either, but much thinner than typical Long Shelf Life tomatoes and I think this is going to be a major trait that people like about it. It has texture characteristics similar to quick-ripening varieties.

Barb_FL · September 5, 2019

Thanks Fred. Can you provide the same info on your other new F1 varieties?

Fred Hempel · September 5, 2019

Green Bee

Regular leaf

Not wispy

The most vigorous plant in our field this year.

Super thick skin

Madera

Indeterminate

Regular leaf

Not wispy foliage

Not as aggressive vegetatively as Green Bee and Agi Red. More open architecture.

Intermediate skin.

Talvez

Regular Leaf.

Not Wispy foliage.

Vigorous plants. Can be a bit leggy under some circumstances.

Skin on the thicker side of normal. And fruits with nice shelf life.

NarnianGarden · September 7, 2019

Does this new Agi red taste very different from the Tiger series?

habitat_gardener · September 7, 2019

My Green Bee tomatoes have been untouched by the leaf-footed bugs (stink bugs), and I just realized it's because of the thick skins! There's major damage on some of my larger tomatoes.

Fred Hempel · September 8, 2019

Maybe "stinkbug resistant" should be on the seed packet.

I hate those things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

My Green Bee tomatoes have been untouched by the leaf-footed bugs (stink bugs), and I just realized it's because of the thick skins! There's major damage on some of my larger tomatoes.

Fred Hempel · September 8, 2019

Similar sweetness, but more tomatoey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Does this new Agi red taste very different from the Tiger series?

NarnianGarden · September 9, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

Similar sweetness, but more tomatoey.

A tomato that tastes tomatoey?! Wow, that is exotic..

Just kidding - I love varieties with fruity, less tomato-like flavors.. but perhaps I need to expand my horizon a little bit.

September 5, 2019	#1
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	The hybrid evolution of Agi Red We have a new tomato variety - Agi Red It is a little red tomato with yellow stripes. Fruits start out saladette size and end up cherry size late in the season. Fruit flavor is well balanced and bright. The fruits hold well on the vine and off the vine, however unlike many long-shelf-life varieties, they are not rubbery or crunchy. It is a tomato that growers and gardeners will love, specifically because it has very high end flavor, in fruits that are consistently good for an extended period after harvest. Agi Red is a hybrid and this balance of fruit characteristics -- Gourmet flavor and texture, with long shelf life and heavy production -- is something we have not accomplished with our OP varieties (Blush, Sunrise Bumblebee, Lucky Tiger etc.). All of our OP varieties have very good flavor, but deficiencies in shelf-life. I would not say that it it is impossible to get an OP with the balance of fruit characteristics that Agi Red has. But my experience tells me that it would be much, much more difficult to do so. Over the course of breeding many OP varieties and now hybrids like Agi Red, I have learned not to assume that OP varieties can be everything that hybrids can be. I still grow, appreciate and develop new OP varieties. But I also appreciate the unique things that hybrids can be, particularly for small growers, like myself, who need to consistently deliver fruits with high end flavor to customers. Agi Red is a tomato I have been trying to breed for over 15 years, and I do not believe it would have happened if my thinking about hybrids had not evolved.

September 5, 2019	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,895	Thanks for mentioning that it's not crunchy. You have my attention . It sounds wonderful! (You forgot to mention about disease resistance here and that's a big plus for many of us!) How do you spell the name again? Linda

September 5, 2019	#4
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Would love to see some pics of the Baby, Fred.

September 5, 2019	#7
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	It's very pretty. InDeterminate or determinate? Wispy foliage? Thick or thin skin? Do you notice the skin when eating it?

September 7, 2019	#11
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Does this new Agi red taste very different from the Tiger series?

September 7, 2019	#12
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	My Green Bee tomatoes have been untouched by the leaf-footed bugs (stink bugs), and I just realized it's because of the thick skins! There's major damage on some of my larger tomatoes.