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Often, gardeners from a wide variety of varieties are looking for something new and interesting for themselves, in terms of taste, shape, and color. Their needs can be fully satisfied by one very interesting variety of tomatoes: “Truffle”. It has a bright, special taste, a variety of colors and an amazing shape of vegetables. We will offer our readers a detailed description and characteristics of the “Truffle Red” tomato variety, as well as photos of vegetables of different colors of this type of tomato later in the article. Surely the information provided will be of interest to all agricultural innovators.
Detailed description of the variety
“Truffle” tomatoes can also be found under the name “Japanese truffle”, despite the fact that the variety was developed by Russian breeders. This type of tomato was obtained in 2002 and has already passed all tests not only in laboratories, but also in real conditions in the gardens of ordinary farmers.
Since its creation, the “Truffle” variety has shown only its best side, demonstrating the excellent external and taste quality of the fruit, unpretentiousness, and resistance to external factors.However, in order to successfully grow tomatoes, you need to know some of the agricultural technology features of this particular variety. We will talk about them further.
Description of the plant
The tomato variety “Truffle Red” is determinate. Its standard bushes grow no more than 70 cm high. To ensure full fruiting, it is necessary to regularly form tomato bushes into 2-3 stems. In this case, after the growth of the main shoot stops, the replacement stem will begin to bear fruit. You can find detailed information on how to form determinate tomatoes in the video:
You can grow Red Truffle tomatoes in open ground or in a greenhouse. The variety is resistant to minor cold snaps and some diseases, however, a film shelter or a stationary greenhouse will help maintain a favorable microclimate for plants, thereby increasing their productivity.
The proposed variety forms ovaries well and produces a bountiful harvest of tomatoes. Its first flower cluster is formed above the 6-7 leaf. It contains 3-6 simple flowers. The first inflorescence develops slowly and takes a lot of energy from the plant. After the first tomatoes ripen, the process of formation of ovaries and ripening of vegetables occurs more actively. In order to save time, some farmers deliberately remove this peduncle.
The root system of tomatoes of the “Truffle Red” variety is well developed and is capable of fully nourishing the plant and the fruits formed on it. Massive roots occupy a large area, so you can’t plant more than 2-3 tomatoes in the beds.
Description of tomatoes
We have already said more than once that Truffle tomatoes are unique.First of all, they differ from other varieties in their shape: it looks like a large, slightly ribbed drop or pear. You can see this in the photos presented in the section.
The color of tomatoes depends on the specific variety chosen. So, below are “Black Truffle” tomatoes.
In every sense, the bright representative of the selection is the “Japanese Truffle Yellow” tomato:
The proposed varieties differ not only in color, but also in taste, which can only be appreciated by tasting a tomato of one type or another. Experts note that the sweetest tomato is the “Yellow Truffle”, and the “Japanese Red Truffle” tomatoes contain a little more acid.
Truffle tomatoes are small. Their average weight is approximately 120-150 g. Giants weighing up to 200 g are extremely rare among the fruits of this species.
The skin of the tomatoes of the proposed variety is tender and thin. If necessary, it can be easily removed. In the internal cavity of the vegetable there are 4-5 oblong seed chambers. Tomatoes are very fleshy and dense, containing a small amount of juice. The dry matter content in such tomatoes reaches 6-8%, depending on the growing conditions of the crop.
Red Truffle tomatoes are perfect for making fresh salads, sandwiches and other snacks. You can also make canned products from them for the winter. “Truffle” tomatoes of various colors look especially original in a jar.
The increased dry matter content partially limits the use of tomatoes in cooking. For example, it will not be possible to make juice from such tomatoes, and the paste after processing the vegetables will turn out to be very thick.
To use the “Truffle Red” tomato harvest, you do not need to immediately process them or “emergency” eat them. They keep very well fresh. To do this, they need to be collected in a slightly unripe form, placed in wooden boxes and placed in a cool room. In such conditions, tomatoes will retain their quality for 2-3 months.
“Truffle” tomatoes really have remarkable taste characteristics, which was repeatedly noted by tasting commissions when analyzing the presented variety. Unfortunately, we cannot convey the taste and aroma of tomatoes to our readers, but we advise you to try growing this variety yourself and enjoy its fruits to the fullest.
Variety yield and fruiting period
The tomato variety “Red Truffle” is early ripening. Its tomatoes ripen within 110 days from the day the first shoots appear. This ripening period is partly due to the determinism of the bushes: medium-sized plants do not spend much time and effort on growing green mass.
The yield of a variety largely depends on growing conditions and compliance with plant care rules. So, in a greenhouse you can get about 16 kg of tomatoes from every 1 m2 soil. In open beds this figure is slightly lower and is approximately 12 kg/m2. It is worth noting that determinate bushes of the “Truffle” variety should not be planted too densely, as this may negatively affect the quality and quantity of fruits. The above yield is calculated based on the condition of planting only 2 plants per 1m2 soil.
Variety resistance to external conditions
An important feature and at the same time advantage of the “Red Truffle” variety is its high resistance to temperature changes and low temperatures. It is thanks to this quality that tomatoes can be grown in the central and northern regions of the country. As a safety net, in such conditions it is recommended to use a film cover and follow a schedule for planting tomatoes in the ground.
The variety's resistance to most common diseases is high. But there are a number of ailments that pose a threat to plants:
- Fungal disease phomosis can affect budding and already ripe tomatoes. The disease manifests itself as a brown putrefactive spot on the surface of the fruit. Its diameter, as a rule, does not exceed 3 cm. It is located near the stalk. The inside of the vegetable can be completely affected by the disease. A preventive measure to combat the disease is to spray the leaves of the plant with the drug “Hom”. Ventilating the greenhouse, reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizers and watering will also be a good preventive measure in the fight against the disease.
- Dry spotting affects the leaves and fruits of tomato. A sign of this disease is the formation of small round spots of a dark color. On vegetables, such areas are framed by a yellow ring. To treat this disease, you need to use special drugs, such as Tattu, Antrakol, etc.
In addition to the proposed drugs, you can effectively combat the listed and other diseases with the help of infusions and decoctions prepared according to folk recipes.Fighting pests can be much more difficult than fighting diseases. For example, Truffle tomatoes can be parasitized by rust mites, aphids, thrips, and whiteflies. If insects are found, you should immediately take measures to destroy them, and then treat the tomato leaves with chemicals (“Bison”, “Konfidor”).
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
In order to objectively evaluate the Truffle Red tomato variety, we will try to highlight its main advantages and disadvantages. So, the advantages include:
- excellent taste and aroma of vegetables;
- original shape and color variety of tomatoes;
- relatively high yield of the variety;
- good keeping quality and transportability of slightly unripe tomatoes;
- good resistance of tomatoes to external factors.
Among the disadvantages of the “Red Truffle” variety, the following points should be noted:
- The variety requires moderate and regular watering. Lack and excess of moisture can trigger the development of the disease.
- Weak branches of bushes are not able to hold fruits on their own, so they need to be carefully tied to a reliable support.
- “Truffle” will give a good harvest only if fertilizing is regularly applied to the soil.
Thus, we can conclude that “Truffle” tomatoes will please the farmer only if all plant care rules are followed. In the next section we will try to give some basic recommendations for growing this variety.
Growing tomatoes
It is recommended to grow tomatoes of the “Red Truffle” variety in seedlings, sowing the seeds in mid-April. This seed sowing schedule will allow you to get good, healthy plants by the end of May, 50-55 days old, up to 25 cm high with 5-7 true leaves.Seedlings should be carefully watered 1-2 times a week as the soil dries out. Organic matter, wood ash, and mineral complexes can be used as fertilizing.
Tomatoes should be planted in the ground in late May - early June. After planting, tomato seedlings should be covered with film and left completely alone for 10 days, with only occasional watering. After the rooting period, tomatoes need to be fed, loosened, and weeded approximately once every 2 weeks. To activate the growth of tomatoes, it is recommended to feed them with nitrogen fertilizers. During the period of active fruiting, phosphorus and potassium will help improve the taste and quality of vegetables.
For an experienced farmer, growing Truffle tomatoes will not pose any difficulties. Beginning farmers need to show care and attention to young and already grown tomatoes. In gratitude for appropriate care, the plants will give the owner a good harvest of tomatoes with remarkable external and taste qualities. To confirm this, you can get acquainted with numerous positive reviews from gardeners about this variety. One of them is shown in the video:
