Previously trialed under pre-commercial designation DRTH1008 Information is based upon the glasshouse trial data from 2017, 2018 and 2019 from 15 external locations in North America and 1 internal location in Ontario, Canada with 21 to 300 plants observed with multiple assessments during the crop cycles, except where otherwise indicated.
Equal parts art and science, Bountice was developed for tomato on vine (TOV) growers in need of a large truss tomato with high yield potential, premium fruit size and a differentiated internal fruit color.
Bountice is a jointless TOV that delivers a deep red internal fruit color, which is distinctly deeper than Komeett, Endeavour and Merlice. Beyond its internal color, Bountice offers strong plant vigor and a robust disease resistance package, including high resistance to Fusarium and TSWV and intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.
Highlights
- Outstanding fruit size for the TOV segment
- Outstanding internal fruit color
- Very good disease resistance package including high resistance to TSWV
- Strong plant vigor and open plant type
- High yield potential
- Suitable for artificial light crops
- Straight growing heads
Agronomics
Disease resistance package
- HR: ToMV:0-2/ToTV/TSWV/Ff:A-E/Fol:1,2/For/Va:1/Vd:1 IR: On/Ma/Mi/Mj
- Bountice has a good disease resistance package that growers expect on a tomato rootstock in the high-tech greenhouse industry. It is possible to grow Bountice without grafting, but crop cycle and growing conditions must be taken into account.
- Under artificial light, Bountice showed fewer symptoms of PMV compared to Merlice in trials in Canada and the Netherlands
Plant vigor
- Bountice offers superior plant vigor and requires generative steering early in season for balance.
- Grafting on a generative rootstock is recommended for better balance and peace of mind early in season.
- For best results with winter crops, extra care is required to drive the crop generatively and achieve balance after transplanting under high artificial light levels.
Yield potential and production behavior
Bountice is not an early producer and tends to hold more fruits when off-balance, which can be intensified when Bountice is transplanted as a winter crop. Thus, close attention and specific growing practices, such as putting generative actions in place early in the season, are needed to counter that behavior. In our trials, Bountice has shown the potential to deliver higher yields than Merlice, Komeett and Endeavour. Due to its later first harvest behavior, its full yield potential is achieved in the mid-late season.
Fruit weight & Quality
- Bountice delivers outstanding trusses. Due to its large fruit size, timely leaf removal is recommended to avoid microcracking and ensure even ripening.
- In trials during the summer months under continental weather, Bountice may deliver more tall, rounded fruit while producing the best fruit shape overall during the winter crop.
Nutrition
So far, no studies have been conducted on the nutrient absorption behavior of Bountice. However, it calls for dedicated fertilization due to its vigorous plant aspect and fruit coloring. Bountice received nutrition and irrigation based on the main crop in trials, leading to more incidences of blotchy ripening. To counter this response, we strongly recommend close attention to potassium, calcium and magnesium levels in the fertilizer mix in the irrigation. In combination with nutrition, timely leaf removal also helps deliver better fruit color