Cultivar · Tomato cultivar
San Marzano
Also known as: San Marzano tomato
San Marzano is a traditional Italian plum (paste) tomato type from the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area of Campania, prized for canning and sauce and associated with an EU Protected Designation of Origin.
Record
Cultivar / variety- Variety of
- Tomato
- Botanical taxon
- Solanum lycopersicum
- Type
- Landrace-type plum tomato (traditional selection)
- Breeding method
- Open-pollinated landrace selection
- Origin
- Agro Sarnese-Nocerino, Campania, Italy
- Registry status
- HistoricalThe name "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino" is a European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO/DOP), registered in 1996. This is a geographical-indication protection tied to a defined production area and method — a food-labelling right, not plant-variety protection over the cultivar itself.
- Adaptation
- Traditionally grown in the warm, volcanic-influenced plains around Vesuvius in Campania; behaviour elsewhere depends on the strain and local conditions.
- Intended use
- Processing (peeled and canned tomatoes, passata, sauce)
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.
San Marzano is a traditional Italian plum, or paste, tomato associated with the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino district in the Campania region near Naples. It is grown chiefly for processing — especially peeled, canned whole tomatoes and sauce — and is valued for its elongated fruit shape, firm flesh, and low seed content in the classic type.
The traditional San Marzano is an open-pollinated, landrace-style selection rather than a single modern registered variety, and it is typically an indeterminate plant. Its reputation is closely tied to a specific growing area, which is reflected in a European Union geographical-indication scheme.
Identity and type
The classic San Marzano is described as an indeterminate plant bearing long, narrow, thick-walled fruit that peels cleanly — traits that made it a mainstay of the canned-tomato and sauce trade. It is best understood as a landrace type maintained through selection rather than as a single, uniform modern cultivar.
- Parent crop
- Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
- Growth habit
- Indeterminate
- Fruit type
- Elongated plum (paste) tomato
- Intended use
- Peeled canned tomatoes, passata, and sauce
Protected Designation of Origin
The designation "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino" is registered as a European Union Protected Designation of Origin. A PDO links a product name to a defined geographic area and production method, so only tomatoes grown and processed under the scheme in that area may be marketed under the protected name.
Relationships
Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.
Related topics
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Rooted in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area of Campania, Italy, for the protected product; the plum-tomato type itself is grown internationally under the San Marzano name.
Climate context: Warm-season paste tomato traditionally grown in Campania; performance of the many strains sold elsewhere varies by region and management.
- The San Marzano name is used very broadly: many distinct seed strains and hybrids are sold internationally as "San Marzano" and differ from the traditional Campanian landrace.
- Only product grown and processed within the designated area under the scheme may use the protected DOP name; the geographical indication does not certify any plant grown elsewhere.
- The traditional type is generally indeterminate, but plant habit and fruit quality of the various strains depend strongly on seed source and growing environment.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cited for: Tomato germplasm and plum-type cultivar nomenclature
- Type:
- Official registry
- Jurisdiction:
- United States / Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility (opens in a new tab)High
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Cited for: Taxonomic backbone for Solanum lycopersicum
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- Moderate
Cited for: Horticultural description of the San Marzano plum-tomato type
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- United Kingdom
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12