Breedx has made remarkable progress over the past three years, ensuring the continuous presence of sweet and seedless peppers and specialty tomatoes on supermarket shelves year-round. This achievement is primarily due to their development of new varieties that are tolerant to both hot and cold conditions during fruit set, making them key assets for growers worldwide.
According to Lior Carmeli, CEO of Breedx, the company focuses on developing specialty vegetables with significant consumer benefits, particularly concentrating on peppers and tomatoes. The Breedx brand “Pepperito,” representing sweet seedless peppers, has become a popular healthy snack in Europe and North America.
Breedx’s innovative varieties are cultivated in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico for the North American markets, in Spain for the EU market, and in Israel for the local market. “Our latest developments, all grown from seeds, include intermediate resistance to PMMV (L4), Powdery Mildew, and TSWV,” Carmeli explains. This resistance is crucial as many growing areas worldwide are grappling with these diseases.
The current Pepperito portfolio features three colors—red, orange, and yellow—allowing growers to offer an appealing multicolor assortment. Breedx is also heavily invested in tomato cultivation, adhering to the mantra of “Taste Tomato.” Using classical plant breeding techniques, the company is commercializing special tomato varieties that enhance the fructose/glucose ratio and balance sweetness and acidity. This approach, initiated by the Volcani Center in Israel in 1991, aimed to develop tomatoes with improved taste reminiscent of traditional varieties.
Breedx’s breeding process can increase soluble sugars, control glucose and fructose levels, and manage the sugar/acid ratio through molecular markers linked to specific genes. Three varieties developed under this program have been commercialized, notable for their exceptional taste and unique mottled/striped coloring. These single-pick varieties range in fruit sizes from 8 to 25 grams with a Brix value of no less than 9.0. Currently, these varieties are being trialed globally, including in Europe, North America, Japan, South Africa, and Israel.
Recently, Breedx introduced Intermediate Resistance (IR) to ToBRFV and the ability to fruit-set at high temperatures in its most advanced varieties. The company continues to innovate and refine these traits to benefit growers and consumers alike.
For more information:
Yasmin Sagiv Breedx
Tel: +972 52 9404726
Email: yasmin@breedx.com www.breedx.com
