Episode Details

“Hyloom” tomato varieties have become popular with growers for the combination of heirloom flavor and looks, and grower-friendly traits like improved vigor and disease resistance. In this interview we talk with Greg Vogel, Assistant Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University, who is working on breeding hyloom tomato varieties. If you’re a tomato nerd you’re in luck because we go deep on them in this interview.

We talk about what makes an heirloom, what makes a hyloom and the traditional breeding practices that allow any farmer to try their hand at making one. We also talk about how they try to breed new hyloom varieties strategically so they outperform their parents. In the process we cover the genetic basis of a lot of things you might have noticed in the field, like why long-fruited tomatoes tend to get more blossom end rot, why heirlooms tend to have more defects like zippering and catfacing, why there tend to be more of those defects at the beginning and end of the season, and lots of other tomato nerdery!

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://cals.cornell.edu/people/greg-vogel

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