UK: Syngenta tomato wins Best New Variety Award
Flavourfresh Salads grower, Andy Roe, first identified the tomato variety’s potential at the Syngenta demonstration facility in Holland, before introducing it to the UK with a trial at his Lancashire glasshouse complex in 2011. ASDA immediately recognised the potential of the attractive and tasty tomato variety to provide customers with a convenient, ready-to-eat, healthy snack, as well as for use in salads.
Successfully launched across ASDA stores 2012 and well received by consumers, Andy Roe reported Flavourfresh has already planned to increase the production area for ‘Tomkin’ this season.
Syngenta Tomato Crop Advisor for North Europe, Peter Geerts, emphasised the variety has a unique attractive shape and incredible balance of flavour - from its taste and aroma - that had been widely acclaimed by consumers. “The Best Variety Award for Edioso has highlighted a great example of how breeders, growers and retailers can work together to get exciting new products onto the shelf, and to provide consumers with a new eating experience.”
Edioso was developed using entirely conventional breeding techniques, but with the advantage of Syngenta’s sophisticated research technology to enable fast-track selection and to bring new varieties to market faster. Mr Geerts reported the company has continued to innovate with tomato varieties demonstrating new shapes, colours and tastes to meet changing customer demands.
“Our direct work with retailers and consumer panels across Europe has helped to identify the trends customers are seeking, which enables us to respond with breeding programmes selected to provide growers with varieties that best meet their demands.”
He added that the company’s breeding priorities included traits to enhance energy and water use efficiency, as well as addressing continuity of supply, transportability and the agronomic traits to create Integrated Crop Solutions in commercial production systems across Europe.