Deformation Of Tomato Fruit

While this type of fruit deformation can be caused by pests, like spider mites feeding on the floral ovary (which matures into the fruit) before/during fruit formation, it can also be caused by other abnormalities in flower part formation or environmental conditions. Someone explained it like this: “where multiple flowers produce tomatoes that grow into one another creating one giant tomato,” but more scientific explanations are probably more accurate. We’ve also copied the following from the webpage listed below: “Zippering usually occurs when the anther of the tomato flower sticks to the developing fruit and produces a scar as the fruit grows, extending from the blossom end to the stem. Sometimes an open hole develops in addition to the scar. The only control is to select varieties that are less prone to zippering. Catfacing is a deformity that occurs during the formation of the flower and is on the blossom-end of the tomato. It can be caused by cold temperatures during flowering, high nitrogen fertilization, or improper pruning. Large-fruited varieties of tomato (such as, ‘Brandywine’) are more prone to catfacing than others.” You can see photos of these conditions at this web page:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/visual-guides/tomato-fruit-problems.aspx