Insect-Resistant Tomatoes: WorldVeg’s New Triple-Threat Variety

The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) has developed new tomato varieties that demonstrate resistance to both whiteflies and the viruses they transmit, while maintaining commercial fruit quality. This breakthrough addresses a long-standing challenge in tomato breeding, where pest resistance often came at the cost of marketable yield and appearance.

For years, insect-resistant tomato plants produced smaller, misshapen fruit, stemming from traits inherited from their wild relatives. This forced growers to choose between resilience in the field and consumer appeal. According to a report from AgTechNavigator.com, WorldVeg’s new lines overcome this trade-off, offering both robust protection against pests and viruses and fruit characteristics suitable for commercial markets.

Addressing a Major Threat to Tomato Production

Whiteflies are a significant threat to tomato production worldwide, acting as vectors for viruses, particularly those causing Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease (TYLCD). These viruses are difficult to control and can lead to substantial yield losses. As temperatures rise and growing conditions change, whitefly populations are becoming increasingly difficult to manage, potentially exacerbating outbreaks and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in global losses annually when considering yield loss, reduced fruit quality, and increased management costs.

WorldVeg’s approach focused on combining genetic resistance to both the virus and the insect within a single plant. Assaf Eybshitz, leader of the WorldVeg tomato breeding program, explained, “WorldVeg breeders knew early on that tackling the virus alone wasn’t enough – you also have to stop the insects that spread it.” He added, “That meant taking a much longer, more complex breeding approach, but one with a potentially far greater payoff.”

A Decade of Research Yields Results

The development of these new tomato lines is the culmination of ten years of research. The team isolated natural resistance traits from wild tomato relatives and, through successive backcrosses with large-fruited lines and hybrid development, successfully broke the genetic linkage between resistance and poor fruit quality. This achievement allows for the retention of resistance genes while producing tomatoes with desirable market characteristics.

The breakthrough is expected to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, potentially improving profitability and sustainability for farmers. It also offers potential health benefits for both growers and consumers by minimizing exposure to harmful chemicals.

Path to Market and Future Implications

WorldVeg is accelerating the commercialization of these new tomato varieties through the APSA-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium, a public–private partnership that brings together seed companies and crop breeders. This collaboration aims to ensure that the benefits of this research reach a wider audience of farmers and consumers.

The development represents a significant advancement in tomato breeding, offering a sustainable solution to combatting whitefly-transmitted viruses. By providing farmers with access to resilient and high-quality tomato varieties, WorldVeg aims to contribute to more stable production, reduced losses, and improved profitability in the face of increasingly challenging growing conditions.

“For a long time, seed companies and tomato farmers were faced with a trade-off – resilience or market quality. Now we have both in the same tomato, and that’s a huge breakthrough for everyone involved,”

Assaf Eybshitz, who headed the WorldVeg tomato breeding program from 2022

The success of this program highlights the importance of investing in long-term breeding efforts that address complex agricultural challenges. By focusing on both pest resistance and market quality, WorldVeg has delivered a solution that benefits the entire tomato value chain, from breeders to consumers.