How many varieties are there?

[pete]

I know the answer to this is only a best estimate, but does anyone know about how many different varieties of tomatoes there are?

I've seen answers of 4000, 7000, and some inbetween.

Thanks,

Pete

[carolyn137]

Pete I've seen many estimates and I GUESS I'd say that adding up all the OP varieties listed in the SSE YEarbooks over time plus the varieties at the various seed banks in Germany, Canada, USA, Poland and other countries, a number between 15 and 20,000 might be considered. That's for OP heirloom and non-heirloom varieties.

And maybe currently a few hundred F1 hybrid varieties.

[nctomatoman]

I think that another way to put it - there are thousands of named varieties - my guess is between 12-20K. Now if you ask how many are actual distinct, unique varieties - that is another question altogether, and would take lots of DNA work to even scratch the surface.

Example are the large bicolors. The SSE yearbook must list over 60 of them. Many of us long time tomato growers who have tried a number of them see very little difference between some of them. My guess - of the 60 currently named bicolors, possibly 15-20 actual, unique varieties - but through the years, as varieties get handed down, they also pick up new names, or names are forgotten or misspelled. Part of what makes this all so intriguing!

[dustdevil]

Dr. C,

I always wonder how many truly different varieties there are...taking into consideration that a distinct variety of tomato might be known by dozens of different names across the world.

[travis]

Cross two tomato varieties that have remarkably different traits, grow out the subsequent generations, and you will have hundreds if not thousands of new varieties.

[pete]

So the chances of me growing every variety is slim to none, and slim just left town. Well at least I can try to grow as many as possible, but more than 60 varieties a year will require outside help and a shrink. I wonder if I can get the shrink to plant some???

I have 4 friends with "satellite" gardens that are growing several new varieties. Maybe 200 varieties a year for 30 more years=6000?

Frig

[Zana]

Originally Posted by pete

So the chances of me growing every variety is slim to none, and slim just left town. Well at least I can try to grow as many as possible, but more than 60 varieties a year will require outside help and a shrink. I wonder if I can get the shrink to plant some???

I have 4 friends with "satellite" gardens that are growing several new varieties. Maybe 200 varieties a year for 30 more years=6000?

Frig

I know the feeling, Pete.

If anybody actually had a plan to grow all of them (if that was actually possible) they'd either have to have acres and acres growing simultaneously or be a descendant of Methusala. Since I have neither advantage, I'm hoping to try as many as I can one way or another in my lifetime. Too bad I came to OP/heirloom tomatoes much to late in life to really try a significant total number.

Anoush Frak

[amideutch]

But thats what makes forums such as Tomatoville and institutions such as the SSE so important as we have several thousand growers world wide that are growing these umpteen thousand varieties. So collectively we are growing a lot of these varieties where as individuals that would never happen. And at least we are identifying those varieties that are undesirable or what we call spitters. Ami

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by dustdevil

Dr. C,

I always wonder how many truly different varieties there are...taking into consideration that a distinct variety of tomato might be known by dozens of different names across the world.

Yes, Craig spoke to that as well in the post above yours. And if you read the two threads here, one on off types, the other one on Black Seaman you'll see the problems that exist even more so.

Some know a variety name in one language, others don't and so many times the same variety is known in two or even more languages.

One of my new varieties grown last summer is called Jean's Prize and the person I got it from speculates that it was probably at one time a known variety. but the name got lost and so it was renamed, in this case it was b'c Jean won so many prizes when entering it in a local church festival.

So for sure not all varieties are unique. Only with DNA squence analysis are true relationships for some of them going to be known and that isn't going to happen any time soon.

And as Travis suggested but didn't say directly, many folks are now doing their own deliberate crosses and naming stable selections from those crosses.

[stormymater]

The DNA sequencing to which you refer - do you think "old timey" agar gels or the more toxic & $$$ acrylamide gels would have to be used?

The reason I ask is this could be a great ongoing project for a freshman level molecular biology class. We ran agar gels sequencing trout species to sort out indigenous vs. mongrel popluations a hundred years ago when I was a freshman. It made no difference to us what we were analyzing as it was principle & technique we were learning. Of course I suppose kids could be learning this stuff in junior high now for all I know.