TRADITIONAL AND COMMERCIAL TOMATO CULTIVARS EVALUATION FOR ORGANIC HORTICULTURE IN TWO REGIONS OF SPAIN, CACERES AND MADRID

In organic horticulture it is necessary to favor sufficient biodiversity available to the market of cultivars selected and developed under organic cultivation techniques. The present study shows the results obtained from the evaluation of 21 tomatoe cultivars grown outdoors, with an intermediate productive cycle in the local area of La Jara del Romeral, situated in the province of Caceres, and in Finca la Canaleja in the local area of Alcala de Henares, in the province of Madrid, both in Spain. The trials included ‘Beefsteak’, ‘Marmande’ and ‘Pear’ commercial types obtained from seed companies and some local cultivars from the Gene Banks in Spain. As well as agronomic evaluation, the traditional tomato crop cultivars were also characterized under Biodiversity International and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptors. In the trial, characters as productivity, rusticity, sanitary resistances and commercial interesting qualities have been observed and measured on-farm, with the collaboration and input from organic farmers introducing participatory approaches to the research studies. The results showed a group of 7-8 cultivars with a good general behavior under organic cultivation management, which includes commercial as well as traditional cultivars.