Roma Tomato
Encyclopedia
Roma tomato or Roma is a plum tomato
which is commonly found in supermarkets. The tomato is a meaty, egg- or pear-shaped tomato that is available in red and yellow. It has few seeds and is a good canning and sauce tomato. While Roma is an open-pollinated
variety, it is generally not considered an heirloom tomato
. Roma tomatoes are also known as Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes.
Roma tomatoes are grown in the United States
, Mexico
, Australia
and Great Britain
. The vines are determinate
and fruit heavily, making Roma a popular variety with gardeners who do a lot of home canning
. While Roma is an open-pollinated variety rather than a hybrid, it has been steadily improved to the point where most Roma tomato vines are fusarium wilt
and verticillium
resistant (thus the VF in the name). Most commercial plum tomatoes sold in markets in the Western Hemisphere are Romas or related types. Smaller plum-shaped tomatoes are sometimes sold as "baby Romas".
A smaller-fruited relative known as "Windowbox Roma" is sold as a tomato suitable for window gardens and hanging containers.
Roma tomatoes are particularly popular in the golden horseshoe
region of Ontario, Canada.
Plum tomato
A plum tomato, also known as a processing tomato or paste tomato, is a type of tomato bred for sauce and packing purposes. They are generally oval or cylindrical in shape, with significantly fewer seed compartments than standard round tomatoes and a generally higher solid content, making them more...
which is commonly found in supermarkets. The tomato is a meaty, egg- or pear-shaped tomato that is available in red and yellow. It has few seeds and is a good canning and sauce tomato. While Roma is an open-pollinated
Open pollination
Open pollination is pollination by insects, birds, wind, or other natural mechanisms, and contrasts with cleistogamy, closed pollination, which is one of the many types of self pollination...
variety, it is generally not considered an heirloom tomato
Heirloom tomato
An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated heirloom cultivar of tomato. Heirloom tomatoes have become increasingly popular and more readily available in recent years...
. Roma tomatoes are also known as Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes.
Roma tomatoes are grown in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The vines are determinate
Determinate cultivar
Tomato cultivars are commonly classified as determinate or indeterminate.Determinate, or bush, types bear a full crop all at once and top off at a specific height; they are often good choices for container growing. Determinate types are preferred by commercial growers who wish to harvest a whole...
and fruit heavily, making Roma a popular variety with gardeners who do a lot of home canning
Food preservation
Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down spoilage and thus allow for longer storage....
. While Roma is an open-pollinated variety rather than a hybrid, it has been steadily improved to the point where most Roma tomato vines are fusarium wilt
Fusarium wilt
Fusarium wilt is a common vascular wilt fungal disease, exhibiting symptoms similar to Verticillium wilt. The pathogen that causes Fusarium wilt is Fusarium oxysporum . The species is further divided into forma specialis based on host plant.-Hosts and symptoms:The fungal pathogen Fusarium...
and verticillium
Verticillium
Verticillium is a genus of fungi in the division Ascomycota, and are an anamorphic form of the Plectosphaerellaceae family. The genus used to include diverse groups comprising saprobes and parasites of higher plants, insects, nematodes, mollusc eggs and other fungi thus it can be seen that the...
resistant (thus the VF in the name). Most commercial plum tomatoes sold in markets in the Western Hemisphere are Romas or related types. Smaller plum-shaped tomatoes are sometimes sold as "baby Romas".
A smaller-fruited relative known as "Windowbox Roma" is sold as a tomato suitable for window gardens and hanging containers.
Roma tomatoes are particularly popular in the golden horseshoe
Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and industrialized region centred around the Greater Toronto Area at the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay. Most of it is also part of the Quebec City...
region of Ontario, Canada.