Landraces Tomatoes in Hungary

Consumers and producers as well as representatives of gastronomy are showing increased interest toward landrace tomato varieties because they have an abundant range of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Landrace tomatoes are valuable due to their genetic diversity and adaptability, but many do not meet the requirements of industrialized production and therefore have largely disappeared from cultivation. However, due to some of their other favorable characteristics (high local adaptation, rich taste, special cultural value), some local varieties may perform very well under organic cultivation. In order to raise awareness and interest in landrace tomato varieties throughout the whole supply chain, the Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi) launched in 2012 a comparative on-farm study with participation of up to 40 farmers.