Use of a CAPS marker for pear shape selection in local Italian tomato varieties

Valorization of local varieties is nowadays a central task of Italian agriculture. Among the different local tomato cultivars, 'Cuor di Bue Ligure' or 'Cuor di Bue di Albenga' is much appreciated by consumers for its quality and seed companies are showing a great interest in this type of tomato. This cultivar is characterized by a pronounced neck constriction at the stem-end of the fruit, which gives the typical pear shape. The role of the ovate gene in tomato fruit shape has already been described in the early literature. From the recently available sequences we developed a CAPS marker in order to highlight a single mutation in the gene which confers the "pear" shape. Furthermore, we used this marker for selection in a breeding program to improve 'Cuor di Bue Ligure' cultivars that have good quality but lack resistance genes against the most threatening pathogens.