Blight Resistant Cross from WVU

Spartanburg123 · April 12, 2017

Here's an interesting clipping from my home state of WV. My brother-in-law grows WV '63 every year, and it is a particularly sturdy plant regarding diseases in general. Looks like a cross of this with Iron Lady could be a winner....

Enjoy!

Darin

Nan_PA_6b · April 12, 2017

That's great; Iron Lady needed help in the taste department, so I hear. Problem is, in order to select the offspring with blight resistance, they'll have to do genetic testing, or field testing where they infect plants & see how well they do. I'll be interested in the end product, as my sis has blight issues.

Nan

Spartanburg123 · April 12, 2017

Nan- I do hope that this is a good one! The WV '63 is a great tomato plant, and the fruit, while not the tops in taste, are much better than any store-bought product. They also make perfectly round, unblemished fruit.

Gardeneer · April 14, 2017

Sounds like interesting and promising development.

rockman · April 14, 2017

5yrs. ago I ordered iorn lady seeds from totally tomato magazine because it was advertised to be resistant to early and late blights. I didn't have to worry about late as the early wiped them out. I sent pictures to cornell u. They agreed it was blight and said the plant is tolerant not resistant. I noticed the magazine finally this yr. has no claim one way or the other. The plant was loaded with nice round fruit so combining it with another plant hopefully will work.

Fusion_power · April 15, 2017

One of those subtle differences in word meaning is between "tolerant" and "resistant" when applied to genetics. Tolerance is now generally used to describe a plant or animal with the ability to withstand the effects of a disease or pest. Early Blight, Late Blight, and Septoria are all diseases for which tolerance is widely available. Resistance is defined as the ability to prevent infection/infestation from occurring. The ph3 gene in tomato conveys significant resistance to late blight. Here is the key, it is possible and preferable to have both resistance and tolerance in a single variety. That way the plant resists the initial infection and if the resistance breaks down, then the tolerance genes limit damage.

April 14, 2017	#4
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	Sounds like interesting and promising development. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

April 12, 2017	#2
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	That's great; Iron Lady needed help in the taste department, so I hear. Problem is, in order to select the offspring with blight resistance, they'll have to do genetic testing, or field testing where they infect plants & see how well they do. I'll be interested in the end product, as my sis has blight issues. Nan

April 12, 2017	#3
Spartanburg123 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Spartanburg, SC Posts: 1,262	Nan- I do hope that this is a good one! The WV '63 is a great tomato plant, and the fruit, while not the tops in taste, are much better than any store-bought product. They also make perfectly round, unblemished fruit.

April 14, 2017	#5
rockman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: fortville,IN 46040 Posts: 140	5yrs. ago I ordered iorn lady seeds from totally tomato magazine because it was advertised to be resistant to early and late blights. I didn't have to worry about late as the early wiped them out. I sent pictures to cornell u. They agreed it was blight and said the plant is tolerant not resistant. I noticed the magazine finally this yr. has no claim one way or the other. The plant was loaded with nice round fruit so combining it with another plant hopefully will work.

April 15, 2017	#6
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	One of those subtle differences in word meaning is between "tolerant" and "resistant" when applied to genetics. Tolerance is now generally used to describe a plant or animal with the ability to withstand the effects of a disease or pest. Early Blight, Late Blight, and Septoria are all diseases for which tolerance is widely available. Resistance is defined as the ability to prevent infection/infestation from occurring. The ph3 gene in tomato conveys significant resistance to late blight. Here is the key, it is possible and preferable to have both resistance and tolerance in a single variety. That way the plant resists the initial infection and if the resistance breaks down, then the tolerance genes limit damage.