Agroaldea
The work has been developed within the Genetic Improvement Program for traditional tomato varieties.
A thesis from the Miguel Hernández University,(UMH), from Elche, has managed to introduce genetic resistance in traditional tomato varieties, mainly "Muchamiel" and "De la pera", of the most important virus diseases that affect tomato cultivation in southeastern Spain, which are the tomato mosaic (ToMV), the one with the yellow curly of the tomato or the spoon (TYLCV) and the tomato tan (HELPFUL).
The study, entitled "Effect of the introduction of genes for resistance to virus infections in tomato on agronomic traits and organoleptic quality of locally adapted varieties", It is directed by the researchers of the Department of Applied Biology of the UMH Juan José Ruiz and Santiago García.
The work has been developed within the Genetic Improvement Program of traditional tomato varieties of the Higher Polytechnic School of Orihuela (EPSO) of the UMH, that started in 1998.
In 2011, The procedures for the inscription in the Registries of Commercial and Protected Varieties of two tomato improvement lines of the "Muchamiel" types began (UMH1200) and "De la Pera" (UMH1203). Both have genes for homozygous resistance to tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), to the yellow curly of the tomato or the spoon (TYLCV) and the tomato tan.
Plant variety titles were granted two years later. In 2013, The lines "From the pear" were sent UMH1415, with resistance to tomato mosaic virus and tomato browning virus and, as well, la UMH1422, resistant only to tomato mosaic virus, which are expected to be entered in both registries during this year.
The PhD candidate Fernando Rubio has received a Research Personnel Training grant, granted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, during the completion of your doctoral thesis, which allowed him to carry out a predoctoral stay at the University of Naples Federico II (Italy). Also, has been the first new doctor of the UMH within the Royal Decree 99/2011.