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MacCoy said he finds it unlikely a superior fruit will surface, as the previous record of 7.75 pounds, discovered by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Okla., has stood since 1986.
The grower said he obtained "Big Zac" tomato seeds from a grower in France and used the seeds from a 4.57-pound tomato he grew using those seeds to sprout 10 plants this year, including the record-setting specimen.
MacCoy said he plucked the tomato, which resembles three conjoined tomatoes, Aug. 29, but the fruit had become too large for the plant to support weeks earlier, leading him to fashion a sling from a pair of pantyhose donated by his wife, Sara.
MacCoy said some of the seeds from his giant tomato will be donated to other growers, while others will be auctioned to benefit the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth's annual weigh-off.