Navigating the complex lineage of tomato cultivars often challenges consumers and home gardeners. Many associate the term “heirloom” with superior quality or age, leading to questions about where popular varieties like the Roma tomato fit. Understanding the genetic and historical distinctions between major tomato types provides the context needed to determine the true nature of this widely used fruit.
Understanding Tomato Types: Heirloom, Hybrid, and Open-Pollinated
Tomato varieties are categorized based on their reproduction methods and generational stability. An open-pollinated (OP) variety relies on natural pollination by insects, wind, or self-pollination. Seeds produced by an OP plant will “breed true,” meaning the offspring maintain the same genetic characteristics as the parent, allowing gardeners to reliably save seeds.
All heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated varieties, but they must also meet criteria related to history and age. To be accepted as an heirloom, a variety must have been grown and passed down through generations for a significant period, typically a minimum of 50 years. This long history implies genetic stability and often prioritizes unique flavor or appearance over modern commercial traits like uniformity or disease resistance.
Conversely, hybrid tomatoes (F1) result from deliberate, controlled cross-pollination between two distinct parent lines chosen by breeders. This intentional cross maximizes desirable traits in the first filial (F1) generation, such as improved yield, disease resistance, or fruit uniformity. The defining characteristic of a hybrid is that seeds saved from the F1 fruit will not breed true, resulting in a genetically inconsistent second generation.
What Defines a Roma Tomato
The Roma tomato is a distinct plum tomato type characterized by its low moisture content, making it highly valued for processing. These tomatoes are typically oblong or pear-shaped, relatively small, and possess thick, meaty walls with few seeds. This dense flesh and reduced water volume require less cooking time to achieve a thick consistency, making the Roma the standard choice for sauces, pastes, and canning.
The original Roma was not a product of ancient cultivation but was intentionally developed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. Created in the 1950s, it was a cross between varieties like ‘San Marzano’ and ‘Pan American’. This mid-century origin aimed to produce a high-yielding, robust tomato suitable for large-scale commercial production and mechanical harvesting.
The variety’s success quickly led to the development of improved cultivars, such as ‘Roma VF,’ which gained widespread commercial acceptance. The ‘VF’ in the name signifies resistance to the common fungal pathogens Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt. This deliberate breeding for disease resistance cemented the Roma’s place in the modern food system as a workhorse processing tomato.
Why Most Roma Tomatoes Are Not Heirloom Varieties
The vast majority of Roma tomatoes sold today are not classified as true heirlooms because they do not meet the generational age requirement. While the original Roma cultivar was released around 1955 (close to the 50-year minimum), many modern lines are newer selections or F1 hybrids. The popular ‘Roma VF’ is a modern, stabilized open-pollinated cultivar selected specifically for resistance traits, linking its lineage to scientific breeding rather than multi-generational family history.
The Roma’s development resulted from mid-20th-century breeding programs focused on commercial efficiency, contrasting with the traditional selection process of heirlooms. Although the original Roma is an open-pollinated variety, its recent creation places it in the category of a modern open-pollinated cultivar. The priority given to disease resistance and high yield, symbolized by the VF designation, supersedes the historical narrative required for heirloom status.
The term “Roma” has become a generic descriptor for many plum-shaped paste tomatoes. Some older, similar Italian paste varieties, such as specific ‘San Marzano’ types, are true heirlooms. However, the generic ‘Roma’ found in supermarkets is typically a modern, scientifically developed cultivar optimized for production, uniformity, and disease tolerance.