A new tomato hybrid variety developed at the Fabio Baudrit Moreno Agricultural Station of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) will be made available to domestic producers starting Tuesday September 20.
The new variety is the Prodigio FI, the first hybrid tomato for the table created in the country that has genetic characteristics that make it more productive and resistant to diseases.
The UCR, through the Fabio Baudrit Agricultural Station's Vegetables program, has dedicated over 20 years of research on genetic improvement to obtain this seed that has high genetic, physiological, and phytosanitary quality standards.
From the beginning the project aimed at obtaining new plants that maintained its progenitor's ability to produce hybrids with good yields, quality fruit, good post-harvest life, and a tolerance to soil fungi, such as Fusarium oxisporium and Ralstonia solanaceaurum.
Due to its strength, performance, and price this seed could compete with imported seeds from the large commercial houses that currently monopolise the market, stated Carlos Echandi Gurdian, a specialist in the genetic improvement of crops.
Another advantage of this new national hybrid tomato seed is its price. It would cost 78 colones to producers, while the price of a graft ranges from 300 to 400 colones in the market.
In addition, having a national hybrid seed strengthens the country's food security, as it is the first time in the history of Costa Rican tomato crops that they have this important input.
The University of Costa Rica owns the intellectual property rights of this variety. Prodigy is a registered trademark.
