Advancing tomato breeding in India: bridging the gap from research to market

India is the world’s second-largest tomato producer, contributing about 11% to global output. Despite cultivating tomato across 0.76 million hectares with a productivity of 24 tonnes per hectare, less than 1% of India’s yield is processed—far below the 26% processing rate in other major tomato-producing countries. This limits opportunities for value addition, conservation, meeting local and national market requirements, and export potential.

The Indian tomato market faces significant challenges, including a range of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Farmers struggle with diseases such as tomato leaf curl virus (TYLCV), bacterial wilt, and blights, which in humid conditions can cause yield losses exceeding 50%. Additionally, heat waves, irregular rainfall and prolonged droughts further depress production. Meeting diverse consumer preferences also adds complexity, as different regions demand varying tomato traits, while the food processing sector requires varieties with high total soluble solids (TSS) and extended shelf life.

The World Vegetable Center has successfully tackled these challenges through advanced tomato breeding programs. A key strategy is ‘gene pyramiding’, that combines different resistance genes to enhance tolerance to diseases, and environmental stresses, at the same time. Tested in multi-location trials for identification of heat resilient lines, this has resulted in the development of heat resilient tomato lines that are also resistant to whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses, including TYLCV.

To further advance tomato breeding efforts, Assaf Eybishitz, lead tomato breeder based at WorldVeg headquarters in Taiwan, visited the South and Central Asia Regional Centre in India in March 2025 to monitor ongoing trials. This included field visits, evaluation and data collection for exclusive APSA program lines, and a group of new hybrids bred by the WorldVeg team in India, led by Srinivasa Reddy Yerva, that was assessed for their potential in future research projects that could develop new genetic populations adapted to changing climatic conditions, resistance requirements, and growing methods in India.

A further 17 advanced elite tomato lines bred for multiple disease resistance were also evaluated, using two leading commercial F1 hybrids to ensure a comprehensive comparison. The top-performing lines will be grown again in the next growing season to validate results before potential commercialization. New tomato genetic material adapted to the climatic conditions and product profile of India were also tested, with the best-performing plants to be selected for further screening in subsequent seasons. This initiative is particularly crucial given the increasing frequency of heat waves affecting tomato production in India.

 

Dr Eybishitz also visited the Vegetable Research Station at Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticulture University to engage with scientists working on vegetable breeding. He was invited as a keynote speaker at a workshop on 5 March 2025 where he presented ‘The power of vegetables: innovating tomato breeding at the World Vegetable Center’, and participated in a field visit to interact with farmers and conduct a survey to better align breeding objectives with the needs of Indian tomato growers and consumers.

 

Through these collaborative efforts, WorldVeg is developing tomato varieties with multiple resistance to diseases and environmental stresses, adapted to local conditions, and that also align with market demand and consumer preferences. By bridging the gaps between scientific research and market needs, these initiatives hold great promise for further strengthening India’s tomato industry, ensuring both higher productivity and greater profitability for farmers.

Selected media links reporting on tomato breeding in India:

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