Florida ranks #1 nationally in the value of fresh tomatoes produced
in the U.S., accounting for more than 24 percent of the U.S. cash
receipts for fresh sales.
Tomatoes comprise nearly one-third of the total farm crop value
of vegetables in Florida.
The
tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is native to the Andean
region of South America and was first reported in the United States
in 1710. However, for many years it was thought to be poisonous
and did not become a food crop until the late eighteenth century.
It is classified as a tender warm season perennial cultivated as
an annual, with growth types including indeterminate (vining), semideterminate,
determinate (bush), and dwarf.
The
tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is native to the Andean
region of South America and was first reported in the United States
in 1710. However, for many years it was thought to be poisonous
and did not become a food crop until the late eighteenth century.
It is classified as a tender warm season perennial cultivated as
an annual, with growth types including indeterminate (vining), semideterminate,
determinate (bush), and dwarf.