The tomato belongs to the plant family which also includes the potato, pepper, red pepper and eggplant. The world's largest genome family both in economic terms and in overall food production! The Tomato Genome Consortium (a collaboration between more than 300 researchers from 14 different countries) unravelled the genome of tomato and its wild ancestor Solanum pimpinellifolium. The tomato is the model system for studying fruit development and the genome structure to gain a greater understanding of the genes controlling fruit characteristics and processes, such as those involved in fruit colour, flavour and texture. These new studies lay the groundwork for the development of new strains of tomatoes with more desired traits, such as higher yields, increased disease resistance, more climate tolerance, new colourings and more alluring aromas. Tomatoes could be engineered to get tastier and survive droughts, extreme storage and pests. Growers will benefit from lower costs and an improved crop; consumers will benefit from a more desirable fruit. Still, it requires a lot of. additional research! Source: Fresh Plaza, Image: flickr.com
