My Oddball Varieties 2012

[Solanum315]

Rather than make a new post for every new variety as it matures, I figured I would just start one thread for anyone interested. I tried to do something similar after the fact but I could not change the title once I had already posted it so there are a few other varieties at the following thread: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=24402

My first entry for this thread is Filipino #2, a variety commercially introduced at Double Helix. I was expecting more of a landrace and I don't associate black tomatoes with landraces so I was pleasantly surprised when the fruit indeed came out a mahogany/purple. There is some speculation that this variety is an ancestor of the more commonly known "black" tomatoes such as Cherokee Purple, Black From Tula, Carbon, etc. Personally I find this theory unlikely but the fruit does have a very similar taste. I just finished eating my first Cherokee Purple of the season when I tried this one so comparison was easy. Filipino #2 was slightly more tangy but besides that, they are very similar. Filipino #2 comes on a big, robust plant that has good resistance to wet feet and early blight.

[carolyn137]

I've searched and searched here for a thread which indicated which varieties were sent from the Phillipines many years ago to Canada as well as MO, for breeders at both places to work with. (Note, found it, link below)

They included Filipino #1 and 2 and nagcarlan and I can't remember the others.

The two Filipino ones and Nagcarlan have been available in various SSE YEarbooks throught the years, and if you go to the legacy Forum here and take a look at the Thread on True Black Brandywine you'll also see them mentioned.

There's a couple of places I can still check as to those varieties sent but yes, I do know at one message site that it's been suggested that some of them got "loose" or were "liberated" from the U of MO, got out there and crossed with other varieties which may have given rise to varieties such as Cherokee Purple and friends.

But not Black From Tula, in Russia, not Carbon, b'c as I recall they have different gf alleles and I just linked to that information for Jennifer last week.

I just found one thread here that does address varieties from the Phillipines and where they were sent, etc.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=15755

And I think seeds were also sent to the U of MO , best I can remember.

[Solanum315]

In that GW thread Korney points to a document that seems to say that Filipino #2 is a variety of Nagcarlang, which is basically a landrace. Most American research sources seem to have obtained their seeds around fifty years ago. The question is then if any attempt was made to save seeds from similar fruit, thus stabilizing the variety or if these landraces just became transplanted New York landraces vice Filipino landraces. I get the feeling that a lot of GRIN stock is landraces given that the notes often say that the fruit was gathered at a local market which is certainly not a guarantee of stability. A few of my growouts match the descriptions exactly but some show variations with the description as well as with other plants of the same variety.

[carolyn137]

This is the other thread I was referring to and should provide you with more information, especially that from Mulio, who is Keith M. It's the same thread I provided to Jennifer having to do with the gf alleles but there's a lot more there than just gf allele assigments and what can be determined from them.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...529042.html?13

[Solanum315]

Much maligned among tomato nerds, I found Thai Pink Egg surprisingly pleasant this year. Perhaps the dry conditions amended its reputed blandness or perhaps it simply has an undeserved bad rap. Admittedly, it is a mild tasting tomato but not excessively so. The relatively firm and meaty nature of the fruit makes it great for salads, salsas or sauce. It has a modest growth habit with stiff, rugose foliage. It would hardly require staking but for the heavy fruitset. It is an abundant producer of beautiful, crack resistant pink fruits. A good alternative to a generic Roma.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Solanum315

Much maligned among tomato nerds, I found Thai Pink Egg surprisingly pleasant this year. Perhaps the dry conditions amended its reputed blandness or perhaps it simply has an undeserved bad rap. Admittedly, it is a mild tasting tomato but not excessively so. The relatively firm and meaty nature of the fruit makes it great for salads, salsas or sauce. It has a modest growth habit with stiff, rugose foliage. It would hardly require staking but for the heavy fruitset. It is an abundant producer of beautiful, crack resistant pink fruits. A good alternative to a generic Roma.

OK, I'm a tomato nerd who has maligned Thai Pink Egg.

Oh yes, it's firm allright and so hard that I would have needed a hachet to break it open, no matter how long it was left on the plant. And there are other "nerds" who have had the same experience as mine.

This was one that Jere Gettle at Baker Creek brought back from Thailand when he visited there.

The only variety close to it that I've grown in terms of being rock hard is Dourne D' Hiver but that one has an excuse b'c it's a nor/rin mutant.

[Solanum315]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

OK, I'm a tomato nerd who has maligned Thai Pink Egg.

Oh yes, it's firm allright and so hard that I would have needed a hachet to break it open, no matter how long it was left on the plant. And there are other "nerds" who have had the same experience as mine.

This was one that Jere Gettle at Baker Creek brought back from Thailand when he visited there.

The only variety close to it that I've grown in terms of being rock hard is Dourne D' Hiver but that one has an excuse b'c it's a nor/rin mutant.

Of course tomato nerd is a term of affection and one I consider applicable to myself. LOL. I have a ripe TPE next to me right now and it really isn't especially hard.

I could see TPE as being one more example of a SE Asian tomato that is OP but not 100% stable. Reference the following link page 5 and you will see that commercial tomato agriculture in SE Asia is very different than it is here in terms of OP vice F1 cultivation. At least this is one articulable way of explaining my different results (other than the very dry conditions this year).

http://tgc.ifas.ufl.edu/Presentation...est%20Seed.pdf

[Solanum315]

From the Philippines by way of Canada. Documentation suggests it is a stabilized cross between Earliana and Harrow from around 1960. Medium sized plants with medium to heavy fruitset of orange-red beefsteaks that resist cracking and blemishes yet still have thin skins and soft flesh. I attribute this ability to the relatively small amount of gel in these fruits. Delicious flavor that is just slightly on the sweet side of balanced. Great slicer, only slightly juicier than most oxhearts. I never saw any fruit like this in Manila or the provinces so I would assume that this was an experimental cultivar that was most likely not well suited for mass agriculture in a tropical climate.

[carolyn137]

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=...iw=757&bih=403

Above is a general Google search for Tanggula and the first one labelled Appendix is one I've had in my faves for many years and you can see why when you open it; it's a gem. The geneology of Tanggula is given near the bottom.

Other links indicate that quite a few folks have grown this variety more recently and how they describe it.

Hope that helps.

[Solanum315]

Seed collected in Basey, Samar at a small roadside market in 2011. Modestly sized plants produce a moderate fruitset of small, ruffled, red fruit. These have a balanced start but a tart finish that seems concentrated around the skin. Most likely a local landrace. The fruit are similar to Native (PI 180233) in shape, size and flavor but Native is pink while Samar Native ripens to a deep red.

[Solanum315]

From the Philippines. Almost certainly a landrace. Reputed to be able to set fruit in both cold as well as hot/humid conditions. This variety is known for exerted pistils although this is not a unique characteristic; most Filipino varieties (as well as many other cultivars from different parts of the world) also exhibit this trait. It is a fairly well documented variety, thoroughly discussed on the interwebs on various boards as well as having been the subject of numerous research projects in Canada and the Philippines. When and if this becomes a commonly cultivated variety, I would expect eventual stabilization into different strains. Indeed, Filipino #2 is cited by the Graham, T. O., Horticulture Department, O.A.C. Guelph, Ontario as a strain of Nagcarlang itself. My results were a very large and vigorous plant with light to medium fruitset of ruffled and oblate fruit that ripened to a dark pink. Fruits were fairly seedy and slightly on the tart side of balanced. I found the fruit pleasant but the plant a real winner in terms of vigor and resistance to blight. As of mid August, it is one of the only plants that is still a lush, healthy green from top to bottom. Would make a great candidate for a breeding project.

[Solanum315]

OK, not an "oddball" variety but I think it is greatly under appreciated.

This is that other large pink-fruited beefsteak on a potato leafed plant. Comparisons between German Queen and Brandywine are inevitable but after growing both for a few years, my preference is with German Queen. I always detect a certain earthy undertone in Brandywine that makes it unique but less than perfect. German Queen is just a touch milder than Brandywine and is almost perfectly balanced between sweetness and acid with a hint of pumpkin. German Queen is also a very meaty beefsteak with few seeds and little gel which makes it a great slicer. It would also make a nice salsa or marinara but given the modest to moderate productivity of the big plants, I would be reluctant to use such an excellent fruit for cooking. Presumably, originally from Germany.

[Solanum315]

From China. Large, robust plants produce an abundance of slightly flattened, round, red fruit that are prone to cracking. Nice ratio of gel to flesh but flavor is too mild. This year, following a dry, hot summer, most of my tomatoes had stronger flavors so I can only imagine how weak this tomato would taste following a rainy summer. Not a bad choice for processing since it is quite productive, but otherwise not worth the garden space.

[Solanum315]

From the Philippines. Small plants produce large, pink beefsteaks that are sweet with just a hint of acid. Thin skin, soft flesh and a good ratio of meat to gel makes for a great mouthfeel. Like many of the most delicious tomatoes, Talavera Native is only moderately productive but given the small size of the plant, the six or so fruit I picked seemed like a generous bounty. Great for slicing, salsas and fresh eating. A nearly perfect tomato.

[Solanum315]

From Serbia. Large robust plants with wispy foliage produce a very heavy crop of large pink oxhearts. Many heavy producers lack taste but Calf's Heart is an exception. It is meaty but not overly dry so it is well suited for a number of uses. I found the flavor rich with just a hint of pumpkin, a subtle flavor that I have noticed in other oxhearts. A good choice for a single-variety garden.