Low sun varieties - Page 3

BlackBear · June 24, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Just to add; my Sweet Ozark Orange tomato plants are in full shade from 3 pm on and seem to love it. The other varieties in that bed have lower production and have gotten spindly but the SOO keeps setting fruit and is still a vibrant green color. I just got my first ripe one yesterday with many more starting to blush.

is it me???..... or are many orange Tomatoes more shade tolerant ?

and may orange ones even be more susceptible to sunscald from to much sun ????

perhaps this is to broad a generalization.

There does seem to be varieties that are better at processing "diffuse " light .

To me sometimes this goes hand in hand with the cool tolerant varieties (but not always).

These diffuse light types actually could need a bit more special help and some shade in a hot

continual sunny environment .

I think there are the normal "middle of the road " types that do generally well in an average
spectrum of bright sunshine and heat .

As well I think there are those that seem to be a bit better in Full sun / heat tolerant / ......even drought ....eeeks !

An awareness I have had is the need possibly in the future for "Salt" resistant or tolerant
varieties as well .

zipcode · June 25, 2015

I find golden tomatoes to be very resistant to sunscald, which makes sense. They absorb less heat because they are less dark. Also, probably included in sunscald is the discoloration of lycopene under sun and heat (not sure of the process but it transforms in another type which has a yellowish color). Tomatoes that are yellow will be immune to this since they dont have lycopene.
In south Romania, big producer of tomatoes, everyone uses a shade cloth, otherwise the red tomatoes would look unappealing, with the exposed parts orange-yellowish.

HydroExplorer · June 25, 2015

lycopine is the component of tomatoes that prevents skin cancer. I'm not saying it's bad to grow other colors. I'm saying it's good to eat red ones that you ripened on the vine too.

I'm sure all of us are getting enough sun to get skin cancer

BlackBear · June 25, 2015

I think if I had my way ... I would prefer the classic Reds also .....

but darn it all if some of the Yellows seem to be sooo adaptive and productive !

also the dark ones brown/black/ purples .

I have heard once that some folks in a Texas garden were growing yellows ..because the birds in their area ...left the yellow tomatoes alone as they "keyed" in on the reds and wiped out the red crop.......

Do not the brown/ purple/ blacks ...have extra Lycopene ???

or is it less as the Dark red colour is what you want to indicate Lycopene ???

does then Orange have a partial Lycopene dose compared to reds ??

I hope one does not have to give up Lycopene to have a productive shade tolerant variety .....

HydroExplorer · June 25, 2015

I don't know. I just know one of the skin cancer studies was trying to figure out why we have skin cancer today and we never did in history. They found that tomatoes from factory farms had almost no lycopene in them but the ones grown in home gardens had tons.

Some people think the reason for this is that a lot of the factory farm tomatoes are grown in greenhouses. Others think it's because they are picked green and "ripened" by exposing them to ethylene.

I personally think it's because they aren't ripened using the natural means (the sun). I don't have the means to test this theory but it's good enough for me. Regardless, I think it's a good idea to have home grown tomatoes in your diet if you get a lot of sun. My wife is a geologist so I have to grow red tomatoes. She gets a ton of sun.

Edit:
I did a little reading. Ironically, the wiki page for lycopene was probably most helpful. Processing tomatoes into things like tomato paste and sauce makes more lycopene bioavailable. As I suspected, letting fruit ripen on the vine also increases lycopene. Lycopene is the stuff that stains plastic containers when you put tomato sauce in them. It sounds like the brighter red tomatoes will have more lycopene.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene

So anyway, if one of the reasons you're growing tomatoes is to reduce the likelihood of cancer. Grow some tomatoes to maturity on the vine, make sauce, eat em

BlackBear · June 26, 2015

You must have heard about this one when talking about Lycopene levels...

Health Kick VFFA Hybrid has a tolerance to Spotted Wilt, and Bacterial Speck. It has a plum shape and weighs about 4 ounces. This determinate variety matures in 74 days, grows about 48” tall, and has an excellent yield and flavor. Tomatoes turn bright red when mature. Research indicates this variety has 50% more lycopene than any other tomato.

I was surprised to find that an orange was also rated as high lycopene ......

Tangerine is an heirloom variety that was introduced in 1992. It has a deep yellow-orange color. This large beefsteak variety is indeterminate and matures in 85 days, The texture is meaty and the flavor is both sweet and rich. Tangerine should produce higher yields of fruit.

March 1, 2007
Source:
Ohio State University
Summary:
Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more readily use. Researchers found that eating spaghetti covered in sauce made from these orange tomatoes, called Tangerine tomatoes, caused a noticeable boost in this form of lycopene in participants' blood.
food for thought.......

HydroExplorer · June 26, 2015

Interesting.

Wiki said a lot of other foods have it in them too but not as much as tomato. Watermellon was one of the higher concentration ones.

Thx for the info. I'll add it my my pile and maybe grow some of those soon. The funny thing about this forum is that it builds a crazy list of tomatoes to grow and the list far exceeds my space to grow things.

AlittleSalt · June 26, 2015

The volunteer Porter tomato plant that I have written about many times here grew with only 3-4 hours of sun per day. When the temperatures get over 100F, I have to provide shade for the plants during mid day.

I'm thinking that location and temperature have a lot to do with how much sun tomato plants need and don't need.

crmauch · June 26, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBear

Do not the brown/ purple/ blacks ...have extra Lycopene ???

No. They have lycopene and do not break down all their chlorophyll (I don't know if this affects their lycopene [the 'black' is actually the blend of red and green]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBear

or is it less as the Dark red colour is what you want to indicate Lycopene ???

Yes. The highest have the 'Crimson' gene. Three varieties [that I know] are supposed to have this gene -- Abraham Lincoln, Matt's Wild Cherry, Tasti-Lee -- but there are probably others. One indication is that the gel around the seeds is reddish rather than greenish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBear

does then Orange have a partial Lycopene dose compared to reds ??

Well...
Depends...
There are at least 4 genetic pathways to orange.

The most common is the 'tangerine' gene t that can coexist with either the R or r genes. Stops synthesis of regular lycopene at something called prolycopene -- which 'may' be healthier than regular lycopene.

B - Beta which gives you higher beta-carotene (which is the precursor to Vitamin A), but at the expense of lycopene. This gene is in the same location as the Crimson gene. A modifier gene can make the Beta carotene 90% of all lycopene (w/out the modifier beta carotene is around 50%)

Two other genes for orange (Del - which makes Delta-carotene) and apricot (at), are not commercially available {if someone knows of any availability of varieties with these two genetics - please let me know!!!}

For an excellent article about color in tomatoes, see frogsleap's blog article:
http://frogsleapfarm.blogspot.com/20...-color-in.html

June 25, 2015	#34
BlackBear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Nanaimo , BC Posts: 961	I think if I had my way ... I would prefer the classic Reds also ..... but darn it all if some of the Yellows seem to be sooo adaptive and productive ! also the dark ones brown/black/ purples . I have heard once that some folks in a Texas garden were growing yellows ..because the birds in their area ...left the yellow tomatoes alone as they "keyed" in on the reds and wiped out the red crop....... Do not the brown/ purple/ blacks ...have extra Lycopene ??? or is it less as the Dark red colour is what you want to indicate Lycopene ??? does then Orange have a partial Lycopene dose compared to reds ?? I hope one does not have to give up Lycopene to have a productive shade tolerant variety ..... __________________ So Many Tomatoes ...So Little Time !

June 25, 2015	#35
HydroExplorer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 132	I don't know. I just know one of the skin cancer studies was trying to figure out why we have skin cancer today and we never did in history. They found that tomatoes from factory farms had almost no lycopene in them but the ones grown in home gardens had tons. Some people think the reason for this is that a lot of the factory farm tomatoes are grown in greenhouses. Others think it's because they are picked green and "ripened" by exposing them to ethylene. I personally think it's because they aren't ripened using the natural means (the sun). I don't have the means to test this theory but it's good enough for me. Regardless, I think it's a good idea to have home grown tomatoes in your diet if you get a lot of sun. My wife is a geologist so I have to grow red tomatoes. She gets a ton of sun. Edit: I did a little reading. Ironically, the wiki page for lycopene was probably most helpful. Processing tomatoes into things like tomato paste and sauce makes more lycopene bioavailable. As I suspected, letting fruit ripen on the vine also increases lycopene. Lycopene is the stuff that stains plastic containers when you put tomato sauce in them. It sounds like the brighter red tomatoes will have more lycopene. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene So anyway, if one of the reasons you're growing tomatoes is to reduce the likelihood of cancer. Grow some tomatoes to maturity on the vine, make sauce, eat em Last edited by HydroExplorer; June 26, 2015 at 12:36 AM.

June 26, 2015	#36
BlackBear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Nanaimo , BC Posts: 961	Lycopene levels not so cut and dry ... You must have heard about this one when talking about Lycopene levels... Health Kick VFFA Hybrid has a tolerance to Spotted Wilt, and Bacterial Speck. It has a plum shape and weighs about 4 ounces. This determinate variety matures in 74 days, grows about 48” tall, and has an excellent yield and flavor. Tomatoes turn bright red when mature. Research indicates this variety has 50% more lycopene than any other tomato. I was surprised to find that an orange was also rated as high lycopene ...... Tangerine is an heirloom variety that was introduced in 1992. It has a deep yellow-orange color. This large beefsteak variety is indeterminate and matures in 85 days, The texture is meaty and the flavor is both sweet and rich. Tangerine should produce higher yields of fruit. March 1, 2007 Source: Ohio State University Summary: Deep red tomatoes get their rich color from lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests that a special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a different form of lycopene, one that our bodies may more readily use. Researchers found that eating spaghetti covered in sauce made from these orange tomatoes, called Tangerine tomatoes, caused a noticeable boost in this form of lycopene in participants' blood. food for thought....... __________________ So Many Tomatoes ...So Little Time !

June 25, 2015	#32
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I find golden tomatoes to be very resistant to sunscald, which makes sense. They absorb less heat because they are less dark. Also, probably included in sunscald is the discoloration of lycopene under sun and heat (not sure of the process but it transforms in another type which has a yellowish color). Tomatoes that are yellow will be immune to this since they dont have lycopene. In south Romania, big producer of tomatoes, everyone uses a shade cloth, otherwise the red tomatoes would look unappealing, with the exposed parts orange-yellowish.

June 26, 2015	#38
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	The volunteer Porter tomato plant that I have written about many times here grew with only 3-4 hours of sun per day. When the temperatures get over 100F, I have to provide shade for the plants during mid day. I'm thinking that location and temperature have a lot to do with how much sun tomato plants need and don't need.