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The "Indigo Rose" tomato is the first "really" purple variety to come from a program at Oregon State University that is seeking to breed tomatoes with high levels of antioxidants. It is the first improved tomato variety in the world that has anthocyanins in its fruit. Other so-called purple and black tomatoes have the green flesh gene, which prevents normal chlorophyll breakdown. A brown pigment called pheophytin accumulates and has a brownish colour that makes a muddy purple when combined with carotenoids. Anthocyanins are in the class of flavonoids – compounds found in fruits, vegetables and beverages – that have aroused interest because of their potential health benefits. They have many varied effects on human health. Indigo Rose's genesis began in the 1960s, when two breeders – one from Bulgaria and the other from the United States – first crossed-cultivated tomatoes with wild species from Chile and the Galapagos Islands. Some wild tomato species have anthocyanins in their fruit, and until now, tomatoes grown in home gardens have had the beneficial pigment only in their leaves and stems, which are inedible. Indigo Rose is a full-season cultivar in with an average first ripe date about 91 days after transplanting. An open pollinated variety, and as such, seed saved from self-pollinated plants will grow true and not produce hybrids. These tomatoes are not GMO.
USDA Zone - N/A
Season to Sow - N/A
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