Pomodoro di Mercatello

Crop: Solanum lycopersicum L. (Tomato)

The information available about ‘Pomodoro di Mercatello’ were reported by the only family that has been conserving the landrace until now. The farmers reported that the landrace has been cultivated by his family for generations. The landrace is also called ‘Pomodoro del Vaticano’, literally the ‘Vatican tomato’. The farmer reported that many years ago, due to an unsuccessful growing season, his family was not able to reproduce seeds for the following year. In order to rescue some seeds, the family contacted a person that, prior to the event, used to cultivate the same landrace in the area; at that time this person had moved to Rome already, living in the Vatican State. He delivered some seeds to the family that was able to continue cultivating the landrace; For this reason, it is also called the ‘Vatican tomato’.

‘Pomodoro di Mercatello’ is characterised by indeterminate growth habit; leaves are light green and the inflorescence is generally multiparous. The fruit set is low and the bottom part of the plant tend to be more productive. The fruit is relatively big, characterised by an average weight equal to 450 g; fruits can easily reach a weight of 800-900 g with a maximum weight of 1400 g. The fruit is flattened, characterised by the presence of a high number of locules each containing few seeds. The mature tomato is red and is generally used for fresh consumption.

Cultivation System: low-input conditions.