Fertilisation independent fruit formation in tomato

Abstract

The invention relates to a tomato plant which may comprise the trait fertilization independent fruit formation wherein said trait may be obtainable by introgression from a plant, representative seed of which was deposited with the NCIMB under accession number NCIMB 41626, NCIMB 41627, NCIMB 41628, NCIMB 41629, NCIMB 41630 or NCIMB 41631. Such tomato plant may be obtainable by crossing plants, representative seed of which was deposited with the NCIMB under accession number NCIMB 41626, NCIMB 41627, NCIMB 41628, NCIMB 41629, NCIMB 41630 or NCIMB 41631, with a plant not showing the trait to obtain an FI population; selfing plants from the FI population to obtain an F2 population; preventing pollination of the F2 plants and allowing fruit formation to occur; and selecting plants producing fruits as plants showing fertilization independent fruit formation. The invention further relates to the parthenocarpic fruits, to seeds of the plants and to propagation material of the plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tomato plant comprising the trait fertilization independent fruit formation wherein said trait is obtainable by introgression from a plant, representative seed of which was deposited with the NCIMB under accession number NCIMB 41626, NCIMB 41627, NCIMB 41628, NCIMB 41629, NCIMB 41630 or NCIMB 41631. 
     
     
         2 . A tomato plant comprising the fertilization independent fruit formation trait as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the trait is introgressed from a plant representative seed of which was deposited with the NCIMB under accession number NCIMB 41626, NCIMB 41627, NCIMB 41628, NCIMB 41629, NCIMB 41630 or NCIMB 41631. 
     
     
         3 . A tomato plant comprising the fertilization independent fruit formation trait as claimed in  claim 1 , obtainable by:
 a) crossing plants, representative seed of which was deposited with the NCIMB under accession number NCIMB 41626, NCIMB 41627, NCIMB 41628, NCIMB 41629, NCIMB 41630 or NCIMB 41631, with a plant not showing the trait to obtain an F1 population;   b) selfing plants from the F1 population to obtain an F2 population;   c) preventing pollination of the F2 plants and allowing fruit formation to occur; and   d) selecting plants producing fruits as plants showing fertilization independent fruit formation.   
     
     
         4 . A tomato plant as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein pollination is prevented by emasculating the flowers. 
     
     
         5 . A tomato plant as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fruit that is formed does essentially not show negative pleiotropic effects. 
     
     
         6 . Tomato plant as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the negative pleiotropic effects are selected from hollow fruits, malformed fruits and altered leaf morphology. 
     
     
         7 . Tomato plant as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fruits that are formed independently from fertilisation have one or more of the following characteristics:
 a) a size that is essentially similar to the size of fruits formed after fertilization;   b) the presence of jelly in the fruit and the at least almost complete absence of seeds;   c) a coloration and ripening process that is comparable to tomato fruits that are formed after fertilisation.   
     
     
         8 . A tomato plant as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tomato plant is a hybrid, doubled haploid, or inbred. 
     
     
         9 . A tomato fruit of a plant as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . Tomato fruit as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the fruit is at least 90% seedless, preferably at least 95% seedless, more preferably at least 98% seedless, even more preferably at least 99% seedless, most preferably 100% seedless. 
     
     
         11 . Tomato fruit as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the fruit has one or more of the following characteristics:
 a) a size that is essentially similar to the size of fruits formed after fertilization;   b) the presence of jelly in the fruit and the at least almost complete absence of seeds;   c) a coloration and ripening process that is comparable to tomato fruits that are formed after fertilisation.   
     
     
         12 . Propagation material suitable for producing a plant as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the propagation material is selected from seeds, parts of the plant that are suitable for sexual reproduction, in particular microspores, pollen, ovaries, ovules, embryo sacs and egg cells, parts of the plant that are suitable for vegetative reproduction, in particular cuttings, roots, stems, cells and protoplasts, tissue cultures of regenerable cells, parts of the plant that are suitable for preparing tissue cultures, in particular leaves, pollen, embryos, cotyledons, hypocotyls, meristematic cells, roots, root tips, anthers, flowers, seeds and stems, wherein the plant produced from the propagation material comprises the fertilisation independent fruit formation trait. 
     
     
         13 . A food product comprising the tomato fruit of  claim 9 , or parts thereof.