Identification of Promising Heirloom Tomato Varieties for Production in Hawaii

Heirloom tomatoes have been shown to have a large price premium. However, in Hawaii, many do not have the appropriate disease tolerance packages and quality to be useful in the local market. We tested 29 tomato cultivars from three different market classes in two field trials from 2020 to 2021. Hybrid heirlooms had the greatest yields; traditional heirlooms had the highest quality. Introducing new lines to Hawaii will help farmers react to increasing disease pressure while still allowing for high marketable yields and creating an opportunity for price premiums.