On-farm assessment of landrace of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) under organic conditions in Hungary

Abstract

Landraces are an important cultural and economical heritage of agriculture. They have a low but stable yield and a great deal of adaptation against biotic and abiotic factors. Our aim is to test these varieties in organic farming, to see if there is a possibility for professional growing and market. In one  season experiment in 2013 we tested four Hungarian tomato landraces on 17 farms. The assessment gave promising results: in some cases the landraces surpassed the conventional control in growth rate and even in yield.

Keywords: landrace tomato, on-farm, participatory research, organic production, Lycopersicon esculentum L.