Tomato Yellow Lead Curl Virus, or TYLCV, is a hard one for Israeli
tomato farmers. No resistant strains had been found since the plague
first erupted in the 1930s. The conventional insecticides used to
decimate the bugs carrying the virus have proved ineffective at
preventing its spread. The result has been to severely truncate the
cultivation of tomatoes in open fields in favor of hermetically
sealed hot houses, protected against the vector - the whitefly,
Bemesia tabaci. In a hot country like Israel, cultivation in sealed
hothouses involved serious problems of overheating and moisture.
TYLCV affects tomato crops throughout the Mediterranean region, the
Middle East and the tropical areas of Africa and Central America as
well. Sick plants produce small fruit, or none at all.
Hazera says the Tracie strain has been tested and found resistant not
only in Israel but in Spain, Greece and Egypt as well. At present it
is undergoing extensive testing in Mexico and Brazil.
Dr Alon Haverfeld, manager of Hazera's tomato seeds division, said
the company believes it stands to make millions on Tracie within a
few years.
Seed breeder Hazera Genetics (TASE: HQS ) announced the launch of the
world's first tomato breed that is immune to Tomato Yellow Lead Curl
Virus. The tomato breed is designed for cultivation in hothouses.
The resistant tomato, fondly known as Tracie, is a breakthrough for
tomato farmers, especially ones, cultivating the long-lived species
that thrive over long periods, not necessa8rily in specific seasons.
Here in Israel the meaning of the resistant breed is that they can be
grown in the open, ventilated hothouses throughout the summer, which
will reduce costs and improve the quality of the resultant fruit, as
well as the total crop compared with conventional breeds.