"Revolutionary breeding program yields antioxidant-rich purple tomatoes"

Oregon State University vegetable breeder Jim Myers has developed a breeding program that produces purple tomatoes with high anthocyanin content, a healthy antioxidant. The program has resulted in five purple tomato varieties, including Indigo Rose, Indigo Cherry Drops, Indigo Pear Drops, Indigo Kiwi, and Midnight Roma. The breeding process involved crossing plants that showed potential to express the purple gene in their offspring, selecting the best ones, and crossing them again. The resulting tomatoes are non-GMO and have better resistance to decay and verticillium wilt. A new genetically modified purple tomato from Europe will also be released in the US market this year.