Classical breeders
have been working for
decades to introduce
desirable characteristics into
commercial varieties.
Understanding the genetics of
the commercial tomato
varieties and being able to
interbreed cultivated varieties
and outcross with wild
relatives, which often have
improved or novel characteristics,
has led to substantial
gains in growth, fruit quality,
yields and disease resistance.
Classical approaches,
however, have the disadvantages
of sometimes not being
precise and often requiring
many years to remove
undesirable characteristics
while maintaining the
desirable ones from both
varieties. Much research has
been done on the basic
processes of fruit development
and ripening. Genetic
engineering strategies can be
used to augment classical
approaches.