TOMATOES OF TOMORROW Tomatoes infested with cucumber mosaic virus, left, and gene-edited virus-resistant tomatoes, right, developed using Nexgen Plants' INTtrait technology. Photo: Nexgen Plants By Stephen Kloosterman Associate Editor Virus-resistant tomato vines are on the menu for developers looking to build new seed lines based on material already in the plants' family tree. Nexgen Plants, which is based in Australia, in early July received a letter from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) indicating its tomato lines - engineered for virus resistance - were not " plant pests " and therefore its plants and seeds could be brought to the U.S., pending an import permit. The APHIS assessment is consistent with an earlier decision it made not to regulate a salt-tolerant rice variety developed by Nexgen Plants using the same technology. The APHIS decision is different from being cleared for use for food by the Food and Drug Administration, but still a vital first step in getting the plants closer to growers. Nexgen said its tomato lines are resistant to cucumber mosaic virus as well as tomato spotted wilt virus. KNOCK OUT PESTS WITH a single punch! Save your crops - and your money - with our Methomyl-based rescue treatment for immediate protection from over 50 types of pests. For more information: Visit rotamnorthamerica.com, or call 1 (866) 927-6826 Nudrin is a registered trademark of Rotam. Use all products according to label instructions. 6 | VegetableGrowersNews.comhttp://www.rotamnorthamerica.com http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com