Roma tomato

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Roma

Roma Tomatoes
Stats
Maturity 75 days
Type open-pollinated
Vine determinate
Plant height 4 feet
Fruit Weight 4 oz
Leaf regular leaf

HI

Resist. V, F
Color Red (pink)
Shape Plum
Roma tomato or Roma is a plum tomato that is commonly found in supermarkets. Roma tomatoes are also known as Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes.[1]

Types

The "Roma VF" variant is most common in seed catalogs as of 2007. It was developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland[2] in the 1950s as a fusarium wilt-resistant cultivar.

While Roma is an open-pollinated variety rather than a hybrid, it has been steadily improved to the point where most Roma tomato vines are fusarium wilt and verticillium-resistant (thus the VF in the name).

Most commercial plum tomatoes sold in markets in the Western Hemisphere are Romas or related types. Smaller plum tomatoes about the size of cherry tomatoes are sometimes sold as "baby Romas". A smaller relative known as "Windowbox Roma" is sold as a tomato suitable for window gardens and hanging containers.

Description

The tomato is a , egg- or pear-shaped tomato that is available in red and yellow. It has few seeds and is a good canning and sauce tomato. While Roma is an open-pollinated variety, in general it is not considered an heirloom tomato.

Maturing in under three months, the plant itself grows to 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height and the single fruit weighs about 110 grams (4 oz).

The vines are purple and fruit heavily, making Roma a popular variety with gardeners who do a lot of home canning.

Distribution

Roma tomatoes are grown in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and Great Britain. They are particularly popular in the golden horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada.

References

  1. The Cook's Thesaurus Tomato (accessed 17 August 2010)
  2. Chronica Horticulture Vol 50, No. 3, 2010

See also

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