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Cultivar · Tomato cultivar

Heinz 1706

Heinz 1706 is a determinate processing tomato developed within the H. J. Heinz breeding program, best known as the cultivar sequenced for the first high-quality tomato reference genome.

Dated referenceLast reviewed: 2026-07-12Updated: 2026-07-12
Illustrative diagram · AgricultureID (original)

Record

Cultivar / variety
Variety of
Tomato
Botanical taxon
Solanum lycopersicum
Type
Processing cultivar (inbred line)
Breeding method
Self-pollinated inbred selection
Origin
United States
Breeder / institution
H. J. Heinz Company (breeding program)
Registry status
Historical
Registries
Adaptation
A warm-season processing type grown mainly in open fields; specific adaptation depends on the production region and system.
Intended use
Processing (paste, sauce, and canning)

Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.

Heinz 1706 is a processing-type tomato associated with the H. J. Heinz Company breeding program. As a determinate line bred for mechanized processing production, it belongs to the group of tomatoes grown primarily for paste, sauce, and canned products rather than for the fresh market.

The line became widely known in plant science when it was chosen as the cultivar for the tomato reference genome, published in 2012 by the Tomato Genome Consortium. That role has made Heinz 1706 a recurring reference point in tomato genetics and genomics.

Identity and type

Heinz 1706 is characterized as a determinate processing tomato: the plant sets fruit over a comparatively concentrated period, a habit that suits once-over mechanical harvest common in processing systems. It is an inbred (self-pollinated) line rather than an F1 hybrid.

Parent crop
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Growth habit
Determinate
Breeding type
Self-pollinated inbred selection
Intended use
Processing into paste, sauce, and canned products

Role as a reference genome

Heinz 1706 was selected as the cultivar for the tomato reference genome assembly, reported by the Tomato Genome Consortium in 2012. Because of this, it is frequently used as a baseline in genetic mapping, gene annotation, and comparative studies of cultivated tomato and its wild relatives.

Relationships

Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.

Related topics

Scope & limitations

Geographic scope: Documented as a United States processing tomato and a genomics reference line. Where it is grown commercially and how it performs are region- and system-specific and are not generalized here.

Climate context: Warm-season processing tomato grown mainly in open-field systems; performance depends on local climate and management.

  • Public documentation for Heinz 1706 emphasizes its role as a genomics reference cultivar; agronomic performance figures are region- and season-specific and are not asserted here.
  • Determinate growth habit is a documented trait, but plant behaviour and fruit development still vary with environment and management.
  • Heinz maintains many numbered processing lines; details of any single line, including release dates, are not fully public.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)

    USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Tomato germplasm and cultivar nomenclature (collection level)

    Type:
    Official registry
    Jurisdiction:
    United States / Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]NCBI Taxonomy (opens in a new tab)

    U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

    High

    Cited for: Species classification for Solanum lycopersicum and genomic reference context

    Type:
    Reference database
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility (opens in a new tab)

    Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

    High

    Cited for: Taxonomic backbone for the tomato species

    Type:
    Reference database
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12

Related topics

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