SKUAST scientists develop hybrid tomato varieties that grow in winter
Aug 19, 2020
Srinagar (Kashmir) [India], August 19 : Scientists of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST) are conducting experiments with imported tomato seed varieties to develop a hybrid that will grow during the winter months as local varieties are not cold-resistant.
The students of the university are currently in the process of experimentation with germplasms of different varieties of tomatoes, which do not grow in the winter months of the Kashmir Valley. 
"Our professor wanted us to make our own hybrid of different fruits and vegetables. Germplasm was ordered from the United States, Bulgaria, Peru, Germany, and Poland. We already had some local material that we had been experimenting with for a while, so we brought the two together to see what we could create," Dr Rizwan Rashid, assistant professor and scientist at SKUAST told ANI.
"We hope that our experiments will soon produce good results and farmers will benefit from the improved yield. We tried to take care of the early and late blight issues that many farmers face and we hope to make the new product more tolerant of the cold climate," he said. 
Harish Kumar, a research scholar said that the main goal of these experiments was to be able to harvest tomatoes even in the off-season when they are not generally grown.
"So far, we have created about 150 hybrids of tomatoes. The consumption rate here is very high but unfortunately, due to the cold climate, they do not grow from December to March. We are evaluating the shape, size, and cold tolerance of these plants so that we can improve and create a hybrid that will grow well in our Valley's climate. We are trying to create a hybrid that will germinate in January and produce fruit by April or May," he said.
"We hope to create something that will directly benefit farmers. A farmer's main concern is a plentiful harvest, so that is the main aim, along with improved quality, quantity and cold-resistance," Foziya Jan, a student at the University said.
