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Close relative of the cultivated tomato is resistant to many insects [View all]
Close relative of the cultivated tomato is resistant to many insects
Published on April 12, 2018
A wild tomato species from the Galapagos Islands has been discovered by scientists from Wageningen University & Research to be resistant to a wide range of pest insects. This species is closely related to the cultivated tomato, making the resilience easier to interbreed into the latter and ultimately making it resistant to many different types of insects.
Cultivated tomatoes are far more vulnerable to pests and diseases than some of their wild relatives. The process of breeding modern tomatoes has resulted in the loss of a lot of their natural resistance, while wild species have remained much better at coping with insects.
Scientists have been working to reverse this by reintroducing resistance from wild tomato species via breeding. The problem is that most of these plants are very distant relatives of the cultivated tomato and scientists have yet to successfully interbreed the required traits. The wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands, however, is genetically very similar to the cultivated tomato. Moreover, its resistance is coded within a single chromosome, which should make cross-breeding into existing plants much easier.
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Published on April 12, 2018
A wild tomato species from the Galapagos Islands has been discovered by scientists from Wageningen University & Research to be resistant to a wide range of pest insects. This species is closely related to the cultivated tomato, making the resilience easier to interbreed into the latter and ultimately making it resistant to many different types of insects.
Cultivated tomatoes are far more vulnerable to pests and diseases than some of their wild relatives. The process of breeding modern tomatoes has resulted in the loss of a lot of their natural resistance, while wild species have remained much better at coping with insects.
Scientists have been working to reverse this by reintroducing resistance from wild tomato species via breeding. The problem is that most of these plants are very distant relatives of the cultivated tomato and scientists have yet to successfully interbreed the required traits. The wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands, however, is genetically very similar to the cultivated tomato. Moreover, its resistance is coded within a single chromosome, which should make cross-breeding into existing plants much easier.
...
More at link.
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