Furaneol...Fabulous...what's your take on this?

huntoften · April 23, 2009

This was in our local paper today...any thoughts?

"Old-fashioned, “heirloom” varieties may be losing their edge as the best-tasting tomatoes available. Flavorful new varieties are now entering the fi eld.
Compared to their heirloom kin, these just-released, modern varieties are also easier to grow, said horticulturist Ward Upham at Kansas State University. Yes, their fruit has been fl avor-enhanced, but the plants themselves are disease-resistant, more productive and compact.
The new varieties include Mountain Glory, Red Defender, Scarlet Red and Security 28.
The varieties’ taste improvements trace back to the 1990s, when U.S. Department of Agriculture tomato researcher Ronald Buttery led a team that found something new in the natural chemicals that give tomatoes taste.
The chemical compound that the team extracted had been overlooked until then because it dissolves in water — including tomato juices. Called furaneol (fur-ANN-ee-uhl), the compound was present in various amounts but proved to be highest in tomatoes known to be better tasting.
“That really caught tomato breeders’ attention,” Upham said. “Soon, some of them had identified the gene that controls the level of furaneol and incorporated it into their breeding programs. We’re now seeing the fruit — pun intended — of their research.”
A modern variety named Fabulous wasn’t part of this breeding program, he added, yet it naturally has higher-than-average levels of furaneol.
“And Fabulous has been around long enough that seed may be available to home gardeners who would prefer to grow their own 2009 tomatoes from seed,” the horticulturist said.
Upham heads the Kansas Master Gardener program for K-State Research and Extension.
—K-State Research and Extension"

lumierefrere · April 23, 2009

If they can genetically cross a tomato with a pig, all we need is the mayo and bread.

kwselke · April 23, 2009

Are these simple hybrids or are they genetically modified? My guess is the genome led to better hybridization? I have not read the article, so it is difficult for me to comment. Can you post a link to the article?

cozy · April 23, 2009

Red Defender seemed a bit wimpy to me at first but it has carried on. I have a section that has spanked me the past couple of years and if it is listed as TSWV tolerant/resistive then I'm trying them there.
Red Defender was set out on the morning of 4/10 ahead of what was to be a 3 day rain. This is what became a bad storm in the SE and spawned all kinds of bad weather. So its first day out it got 4 inches of rain and dime-nickel size hail.
Today is the first day since that we have not had "gusts to 35 mph". She is tattered and torn but hanging in there. Yes it needs mulching and other stuff but, unlike the last few years, it has been wet. I till deep.

Mountain Glory is a more frisky looking plant and is awaiting her place in the rows. For reference, these are 4.5 in square pots and 5.5 inches deep. With any luck, they will get set deep Monday. Both were started at the same time ... It just started raining before Mountain Glory got set out and it is still too wet

travis · April 23, 2009

I've grown Mountain Glory and its taste is superior to Mountain Spring, which it is an improved version of, with TSWV-resistance added. A fellow gardener to whom I sent seeds got about four dozen tomatoes per plant in his garden north of Dallas.

In the past, found Fabulous to be BER prone but decent otherwise.

Scarlet Red had problems with leaf roll or curl in response to certain weather conditions to the extent that it interfered with blossom development. That's a bit extreme. I pulled the plants so cannot report on taste.

I haven't tried Red Defender or SecuriTY 28, which has TYLCV-resistance, from Harris Seed.

**carolyn137** · April 23, 2009

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...251264157.html

The above is a link to a thread about furaneol and flavor enhanced tomato varieties that was posted at Garden Web in January.

There's some good links in it as well.

So those of you who are interested in this topic might find the GW thread helpful.

Douglas_OW · April 24, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by lumierefrere

If they can genetically cross a tomato with a pig, all we need is the mayo and bread.

Actually, you want to feed mayo TO the pig...

April 23, 2009	#1
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	Furaneol...Fabulous...what's your take on this? This was in our local paper today...any thoughts? "Old-fashioned, “heirloom” varieties may be losing their edge as the best-tasting tomatoes available. Flavorful new varieties are now entering the fi eld. Compared to their heirloom kin, these just-released, modern varieties are also easier to grow, said horticulturist Ward Upham at Kansas State University. Yes, their fruit has been fl avor-enhanced, but the plants themselves are disease-resistant, more productive and compact. The new varieties include Mountain Glory, Red Defender, Scarlet Red and Security 28. The varieties’ taste improvements trace back to the 1990s, when U.S. Department of Agriculture tomato researcher Ronald Buttery led a team that found something new in the natural chemicals that give tomatoes taste. The chemical compound that the team extracted had been overlooked until then because it dissolves in water — including tomato juices. Called furaneol (fur-ANN-ee-uhl), the compound was present in various amounts but proved to be highest in tomatoes known to be better tasting. “That really caught tomato breeders’ attention,” Upham said. “Soon, some of them had identified the gene that controls the level of furaneol and incorporated it into their breeding programs. We’re now seeing the fruit — pun intended — of their research.” A modern variety named Fabulous wasn’t part of this breeding program, he added, yet it naturally has higher-than-average levels of furaneol. “And Fabulous has been around long enough that seed may be available to home gardeners who would prefer to grow their own 2009 tomatoes from seed,” the horticulturist said. Upham heads the Kansas Master Gardener program for K-State Research and Extension. —K-State Research and Extension" __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

April 23, 2009	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...251264157.html The above is a link to a thread about furaneol and flavor enhanced tomato varieties that was posted at Garden Web in January. There's some good links in it as well. So those of you who are interested in this topic might find the GW thread helpful. __________________ Carolyn

April 23, 2009	#2
lumierefrere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 4 NY Posts: 772	If they can genetically cross a tomato with a pig, all we need is the mayo and bread.

April 23, 2009	#3
kwselke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 172	Are these simple hybrids or are they genetically modified? My guess is the genome led to better hybridization? I have not read the article, so it is difficult for me to comment. Can you post a link to the article?

April 23, 2009	#5
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	I've grown Mountain Glory and its taste is superior to Mountain Spring, which it is an improved version of, with TSWV-resistance added. A fellow gardener to whom I sent seeds got about four dozen tomatoes per plant in his garden north of Dallas. In the past, found Fabulous to be BER prone but decent otherwise. Scarlet Red had problems with leaf roll or curl in response to certain weather conditions to the extent that it interfered with blossom development. That's a bit extreme. I pulled the plants so cannot report on taste. I haven't tried Red Defender or SecuriTY 28, which has TYLCV-resistance, from Harris Seed.