According to reports, seed company TomaTech has filed for a provisional patent for identifying DNA markers which can be correlated to the resistant traits for the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). The company says this will accelerate the breeding and commercialisation of high resistance non-GMO tomato varieties.
“Following years of intensive R&D efforts, TomaTech has succeeded in identifying DNA markers that elicit resistance to ToBRFV,” said Ofer Ben Zvi, CEO of TomaTech. “This discovery will allow us to rapidly develop a complete portfolio of resistant tomato varieties for global introduction and will benefit the growers and the entire value chain, providing a consistent supply chain while lowering production costs.”
“The ability to find strong resistance as well as identify DNA markers, protecting our IP through submission of provisional patent application, demonstrates TomaTech’s capabilities to position itself at the front line in the research and breeding of the tomatoes varieties for the global market,” added Favi Vidavski, PhD, president and head of R&D. “We developed an advanced highly efficient screening system based on controlled inoculation and molecular technology where we continually tested tens of thousands of tomato plants under the most severe conditions. We reached a breakthrough a year ago with the discovery of specific DNA markers that proved instrumental in helping us isolate, identify and introduce ToBRFV-resistant genes, which we bred into our principal commercial tomato varieties.”