Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences team, led by Profs. Nachum Kedar and Haim Rabinowitch, was the first in the world to exploit non-ripening mutants of tomatoes for producing the first extended shelf-life tomatoes.  These mutants slow down or halt the ripening and softening processes of the fruit. Firm enough to be picked ripe and rich in flavor compounds, the new tomato hybrids produced by this group have revolutionized the industry and set a new world standard for fresh tomatoes.

Since it was introduced from Latin America, the tomato has become the most important single vegetable crop throughout the world. However, until recently the fruit suffered a serious handicap that, once ripe, it softened rapidly in the production fields, after picking, in the wholesalers’ and retailers’ hands, and in the consumers’ home.

Israeli tomatoes can now be exported to Europe by ship at a $500 saving per ton over air freight. Furthermore, sale of the fruit or the tomato seeds are at present bringing in more royalty to the Hebrew University than all other commercialized University discoveries combined. Currently, about 40% of European greenhouse acreage, about 70% of tomato production in Morocco and more than 50% of the Mexican tomato acreage is  occupied by Faculty of Agriculture cultivars. The value of tomato seed exports is estimated to more than $50 million, annually.

In addition, the research team developed the Devine Ripe® tomato, allows growers in California and Mexico to harvest their crop at the vine ripe stage, with no compromise in storage life, thus producing better flavored fruit all year round. The long shelf-life tomato varieties are adapted to a variety of agrotechnologies, i.e. glasshouses, polyhouses, and open fields.

The team continues to be engaged in further improving tomato varieties endeavoring to increase yields and improve tomato flavor even more. They are now trying to increase the nutritional value of the fruit and  incorporate an array of genetically inherited disease resistance into the tomato plants, which will lower the use of pesticides, reduce environmental pollution, and farmers’ expenses.