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Agriculture 2011
Antonella – A new Tomato
On-The-Vine
Dr. Alon Haberfeld,
Marketing Manager,
Hazera Genetics
Tomatoes on-the-vine, also known as cluster tomatoes,
are not new to tomato consumers worldwide. They have
been there since the first introduction of a cluster variety
by Hazera Genetics in 1986 in Italy. This innovative product
controlled the Italian tomato market for several years,
and is still marketed in some parts of Europe, mainly for
the hobby sector. However, until recently tomatoes onthe-vine
were niche products, consumed only by a very
small portion of the population that was willing to pay
its price. Nevertheless, the improved flavor of cluster
tomatoes and the sense of freshness that is associated
with the aroma of the green spine, gradually gained
them market share. Farmers also came to like on-thevine
tomatoes since the amount of labor required for
their production is much lower compared to other crops
and the price is usually higher. At present, about 50%
of fresh tomatoes consumed in Europe are purchased
on-the-vine. Other markets for on-the-vine tomatoes
include USA, Australia, Canada and more.
Cluster tomatoes are produced in southern Europe
mainly in the winter and in glasshouses in northern
Europe in the summer. Recently, the production of
tomatoes on-the-vine spread to Turkey and North
Africa for consumption in Europe, and to Mexico for
consumption in USA. As mentioned, Hazera Genetics
was the first seed company to launch a cluster tomato
variety in Italy over 20 years ago, and is since continuing to
develop cluster tomato varieties for production in Spain,
Italy, Turkey, France and Israel. This project is carried
out by a team of researchers from Hazera Genetics and
in part is done in collaboration with researchers from
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Antonella is one of the varieties derived from the
abovementioned collaboration. It was developed
for the Italian market and tested in all on-the-vine
producing areas. Antonalla has a medium size fruit
with excellent quality and a very elegant fishbone like
cluster arrangement. The fruit has a very shiny red color
and extremely long shelf life. In addition, Antonella has
a very good heat setting ability that makes it a perfect
candidate for production in hot conditions, such as the
Israeli summer. When all other tomato varieties yield
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