Kumato pics and question

[kygreg]

Are the pics the "normal" color of a Kumato? I hope you can see the green shoulders. I tried to grow a Kumato last year and it had a couple of green ones then died. This year it has three ripe ones but again is dying. Anyone have experience with Kumato.

[Timmah!]

Was wondering the same thing in a reply to your other thread.
This is what it looks like on TT:
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Kumato

[kygreg]

Yes I saw that and my seeds came from Terry whose pic that is. Just wondering what others has observed.

[carolyn137]

Since F1 seeds of Kumato, aka Rosso Bruno, are not available wouldn't it seem reasonable that folks growing out plants from F2, F3 or whatever seeds would be expected to see differences in the fruit as to color, green shoulders,taste and whatever Syngenta bred into it in the first place?

I don't think anyoner has genetically stabilized it as an OP but if I'm wrong, please correct me and show me the way to the data that proves it's OP.

In other words I don't know who is at what generation with this variety.

I avoided it all together when I saw the ridiculous hyped PR that Syngenta distriibuted for this variety initially in England and Australia.

[svalli]

Many people in Finland have been growing Kumato from seeds taken from grocery store tomatoes. Some plants have had dark brownish red tomatoes and some plants have had red tomatoes.

[kygreg]

It feels ripe, even though it doesn't quite look it; so I think I will go ahead and slice it.

[PNW_D]

There are three ripening stages for the ones purchased at the market ......

the Dulcinea brand are the ones I've saved seed from, but have yet to grow out.

http://www.dulcinea.com/products/Rosso-Bruno.html

[SUNSET® Produce]

SUNSET® Kumato™ BROWN tomatoes are greenhouse grown and are produced from true F1 seed varieties.

PNW_D is indeed correct regarding the ripening stages as the SUNSET® Kumato™ label on the package identifies the 3 stages of color to show their best flavor.

All SUNSET® brand produce is non-GMO certified.

To learn more about the SUNSET® Kumato™ BROWN tomato, please visit http://www.sunsetproduce.com/product/tomatoes/kumato . For great Kumato™ recipes, visit http://www.sunsetproduce.com/recipe/...me-vinaigrette

[Mischka]

Thanks for the links and information.

Since the Kumato variety is an F1 hybrid and the seeds are not available to home gardeners, there are many people growing out F2 seeds with the hope of de-hybridizing and stabilizing it. With no information about the breeding lines used and how many back-crosses are involved, this is indeed a resource/time consuming noble effort.

Personally, I believe there are many, many other tomato varieties available in seed form to gardeners, that taste superior in comparison to it.

The Kumato is a novelty variety with appeal limited only to those that don't grow their own and are only familiar with the generic, gassed "supermarket red" tomatoes. In addition, they are outrageously priced, which places them out of reach for folks trying to economize their food budget.

If you know of a source where folks can purchase seed, I'm certain there would also be a market for them, in addition to the fruit itself.

[nctomatoman]

Yes....I've tried it, and would call it a "supermarket brown" - well, perhaps better than the hard as a rock supermarket pink or reds, and an OK off season substitute...but for those who can grow their own...

[carolyn137]

I have another question.

Syngenta first introduced Kumato F1 to England and Australia, actually with hype that was so over the top it was ridiculous as well as being wrong, re the history, etc., but that's what PR folks are paid for, but when they introduced it to the US it was introduced as Rosso Bruno F1, a name change.

I was wondering why your company still uses the name Kumato F1 when most places in the US that I've seen folks mention are selling it in grocery stores as Rosso Bruno, the name Syngenta used, as I said above, when bringing it to the US.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

[dice]

A greenhouse-targeted F1 probably has a decent portfolio
of genetic disease tolerances. It might be good to cross it
with an especially tasty large black like Huge Black, Brad's
Black Heart, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, or [insert your
favorite here] and then grow out and stabilize that cross,
instead of the original Kumato. Hopefully some of the
bred-in disease tolerances in Kumato end up in the
stabilized OP that results (at least whatever diseases
it has tolerance for that plague the particular garden
of whoever is growing it out to a stable OP, anyway).