Transgenic tomato withstands bacterial spot, yields more fruit

When a gene from bell and hot peppers is inserted into tomatoes, it not only imparts resistance to bacterial spot—a devastating tomato disease—it also bumps up yields.

Jay Scott, a University of Florida tomato breeder at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, admits a small segment of the population opposes transgenic crops.

But he says the benefits of a bacterial spot-resistant tomato to the environment and growers would be a strong selling point.

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“We still have to overcome different views on transgenic crops,” he told attendees of the recent Florida Tomato Institute in Naples. “My personal feeling is most people just don’t care.

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