The information website by, for and about
the tomato processing industry globally

Fytagoras delivered first doubled haploid tomato plants to customers

28/05/2020

Press release
Fytagoras BV
Netherlands,
European Union
${printContents} `); printWindow.document.close(); printWindow.focus(); printWindow.print(); printWindow.close(); }); });
Last year Fytagoras started her service to produce doubled haploid tomato plants for breeding companies. Many seed companies approached Fytagoras, and several projects were initiated to produce doubled haploid plants, i.e. homozygous plants which by nature show a pure genetic background. Production often started with a limited number of lines to evaluate the responsiveness of the desired genotypes towards Fytagoras’ doubled haploid production protocol. 

Fytagoras has projects ongoing with multiple seed companies globally.  These projects encompass a range of types and scopes of work.  Projects under way represent a wide diversity of varieties and types from all over the world. Large to small-fruited materials have been evaluated and most have been induced to yield doubled haploid plants. Plants are delivered as tissue culture plants, or as young plants on substrates. Fytagoras has successfully generated materials for greenhouse, open field and processing clients. 

Both round and “roma” open field types have successfully yielded DH plants.  These materials are undergoing adaptation testing.  Initial hybridization work is under way as well.  Also, doubled haploid plants were produced for beefsteak, minicluster, cherry, saladette, and processing types. Currently, advanced breeders are learning how to grow, handle, phenotype and cross with these novel materials.  The earliest of these new tools are already being evaluated and used for commercial variety development as well as for genetic studies and trait stacking. 

In comparing the tables, it is apparent that different types of materials respond differently to induction. Therefore further work is needed to evaluate regeneration capacity and doubling rates. Plant material show some diversity of ploidy levels, so besides doubled haploids, also haploids, and mixoploids are produced.  Further optimization work is under way to improve recovery and survival of truly doubled haploid plantlets along with work to deal with haploid plants.   
Fytagoras expects to intensify the production capacity in the near future, to be able to help out more tomato breeders with benefits of doubled haploid technology.

Source: Fytagoras
 

Related Companies