LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There is a new "tomato tree" growing inside the experimental greenhouses at The Land pavilion presented by Nestlé at Epcot. A one-of-its-kind in the United States, the plant yields thousands of tomatoes at one time from a single vine. So far, the vine has produced a world record harvest -- more than 20,000 tomatoes with a total weight of more than 850 pounds. And it's still growing.
The vine was planted in December 2004 and continues to grow golf ball-sized tomatoes, which are harvested and served in restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort. The world record-setting tomato tree can currently be seen by guests on the attraction's Living with the Land boat ride.
Yong Huang, manager of agricultural science at The Land pavilion, discovered the unique plant type while on vacation in Beijing, China. After meeting with scientists responsible for that plant, Huang brought its seeds to Epcot and created the specialized greenhouse for the fruit to grow.
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