Researchers uncover tomato's genetic history

Two years after the sequencing of the genome of one variety of tomato, scientists have sequenced the genomes of 360 tomato varieties. By analysing the relationships among these genomes, Sanwen Huang of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and his colleagues have reconstructed the genetic history of the tomato, from its origins as a pea-sized wild plant growing in South America's Andes region to the many varieties found worldwide today. The research appears in Nature.

The tomato is the world's leading vegetable crop. In 2012, global harvests yielded more than 162 million tons of tomatoes, worth more than 55 billion dollars. Understanding how the tomato's genetic profile affects its taste, size and hardiness could increase consumer satisfaction while making the tomato industry even more profitable.

That same year, Huang was part of a team of researchers who sequenced the genome of the Heinz 1706 variety of tomato, a processing tomato used to make ketchup. Huang and his current team knew that to improve breeding processes, scientists must understand the genetic profiles of the many different tomato varieties that exist today and the relationships between them.

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