Brachytic Tomatoes

[William Schlegel]

Frogsleap farm just posted something on Facebook about their breeding with Brachytic tomatoes that they first encountered on a trip to Japan and there used for greenhouse tomato production. It is a trait that shortens internodes and causes shorter plants. Distinct from rugose leaved dwarfism. Anyone ever hear of it before?

[Tim DH]

Not heard of it before, but enjoyed reading this:

https://journals.ashs.org/jashs/view/journals/jashs/143/4/article-p239.xml

Tim DH

[Maf]

Pretty sure Frogsleap Farm first encountered brachytic (br) in the seeds from the UK supermarket F1 Sugardrop that I sent him about twelve years ago, so don't know why it is being said he first saw it in Japan. (I don't go on facebook so am not going to look up the source.) In fact he probably saw it before that as I am pretty sure some of the old Brad Gates lines such as Pink Berkeley Tie Dye and Large Barred Boar have this mutation, or something that is functionally the same.

I think brachytic (or whatever I have, if it is a lookalike) is a much better gene for reducing height of tomato plants than dwarf (d). The internode length is reduced to approximately 50% such that plants are roughly half the height of wild type, but leaves, flowers and fruits are not reduced in size as they would be in d.

In the UK, where I live, which is a marginal climate for tomatoes, many of the d dwarf plants do not thrive - I think with the reduced leaf size it helps if they are in a climate with stronger sunshine than we have here. I have observed that brachytic plants produce as freely as normal types and in the UK. They are especially useful for planting in the short end of your greenhouse where normal types quickly reach the roof.

@Tim DH message me if you want some br lines that do well in UK greenhouse conditions

[Roland]

Almost all Cherry breedinglines (NC2 grape etc.) from Randolph Gardner have the br Brachytic gene https://mountainhort.ces.ncsu.edu/fresh-market-tomato-breeding/tomato-seedlines/

[Maf]

Yep, I think it is more common than some people realise. A lot of hybrids designed for greenhouse production have it.

[Nicolas]

br seems to reduce yield by a third ? Not sure it is interesting if so
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pld3.422

[Justin Jardinier]

I made another thread before becoming aware of this one, entitled The different types of tomato dwarf traits (not only rugose dwarf). I thought it a good idea to make a discussion of the different types of dwarf since many people have asked. I don't know much so anyone is of course very welcome to add more types of dwarf!
https://opensourceplantbreeding.org/forum/index.php/topic,975.0.html

[Roland]

This new EU variety is released in 2024 and have 2 leaves between the flower clusters. Properly because of the br gene.

https://culinaris-saatgut.de/en/varieties/vegetables/tomatoes/salattomate-631-fl/

[Maf]

This new EU variety is released in 2024 and have 2 leaves between the flower clusters. Properly because of the br gene.

https://culinaris-saatgut.de/en/varieties/vegetables/tomatoes/salattomate-631-fl/

Semi determinate, with 2 leaves between flower clusters, is completely different to br which reduces the length between internodes but does not reduce the number of internodes. Typically br plants have 3 leaves between flower clusters in an indeterminate situation. Obviously you could have semi-determinate and brachytic in the same plant but there is no evidence that this is the case here.

[Steph S]

Yup,  two leaves between clusters is caused by sp/sp.
Interactions with other growth habit genes from an indeterminate parent, you can get endless variations widely termed "semi-determinate".
I guess I'll get a look at brachytic this season in Randy G's plants.

[Justin Jardinier]

Yup,  two leaves between clusters is caused by sp/sp.
Interactions with other growth habit genes from an indeterminate parent, you can get endless variations widely termed "semi-determinate".

I had not looked into determinates, but now I see there seem to be at least 6 different sp alleles? This paper I just came across for example, Newly discovered alleles of the tomato antiflorigen gene SELF PRUNING provide a range of plant compactness and yield, seems to show 'weak sp allele' which seems to have the same number of leaves between clusters as 'sp-classic' but with higher yeild, and an even higher yeilding. It says:

The Brix yield of sp-5732 increased by more than 50% with better fruit quality than that of sp-classic

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.17.488597v1.full.pdf

Also does anyone know much about Japanese tomatoes? I heard there are good tasting ones, and it sounds like many are brachytic. I never seem to see much about the tomato world in Japan, on forums, just a few mentions of one or two varieties from Japan that a few folk grow in the West. Perhaps they have some valuable tomatoes there with this trait and disease resistances while also being delicious? I also wonder about how early they might be. It would be great if they have all these rolled into one with acceptable earliness.

That sounds interesting.

[Diane Whitehead]

I am growing the brachytic dwarf 'Ruby Slippers' from Karen Olivier, who lives near me.

Where can one buy other brachytic seeds?

[ThomatoGarden]

Just found a plant with one flower, per leaf. until now (4 flowers) indeterminant !? Will monitor this plant and maybe try a sideshot to verify this. Atm its to early to be sure.

[Steph S]

I'm just at the stage of potting up my seedlings:  no sign that Mountain Gem or Plum Regal have the brachytic gene.  They are quite large with normal internode length.
Favorie de Bretagne, a Tom Wagner tomato, is very short and either dwarf and/or brachytic as well.

[Roland]

I think Mountain Gem F1 is er very good tomato to dehybridization. It have a lot of resitance genes and about 3 are already homozygous. Also the early blight resistance genes are homozygous. The disadvantage is that the Phytophthora genes ph2 and ph3 are not homozygous. If these were homozygous, the resistance would be even stronger.
It should have a good taste (better as Tasty Lee) en good production.
Both parrents are very similar so i guess easy to dehybridize the F1.

Stil hope to get some seeds...