Tomato Breeding for Vertical Farming

Decreasing availability of fertile land, a limited farming population, unfavorable growing conditions, and the rapid increase in urbanization and food demand have led to the exploration of non-traditional methods of food production. Tomatoes are grown globally in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities, including high-tech greenhouses, and show promise for cultivation in indoor and vertical farms through breeding and crop improvement. Germplasm developed for open-field cultivation provides a foundation for precise selection decisions, facilitated by the application of genomics. While revisiting wild germplasm is necessary to identify novel traits, such as resistance to emerging pathogens and consumer-desired qualities like flavor, publicly available molecular markers are critical for introgressing genetic sources for existing traits, including fruit shape, size, and disease resistance. The application of phenotyping tools and phenomics in CEA supports selection based on both genotype and phenotype. Additionally, the year-round operation of CEA facilities, coupled with the use of LED lights to expedite fruit development, enables the advancement of more than three generations per year, significantly reducing the time required for parental development. The adoption of breeding methods such as single-seed descent, backcross breeding, and genome editing, enabled by marker-assisted selection, is essential for delivering CEA-optimized, premium-quality varieties to producers, thereby supporting the economic sustainability of the CEA industry. Given the higher establishment and operational costs, these production systems will thrive when high-quality, high-yielding, and fresh tomatoes are delivered to consumers, making crop improvement through breeding a critical component.