Tomato Shape Gene Research

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US scientists have discovered and cloned a gene that controls the shape of tomatoes, a find which could help unravel the morphological mysteries of the plant world, a study released Thursday said.

The gene known as SUN, the second ever found to play a key role in the formation of elongated tomato varieties, could provide vital new insight into how edible plants develop, said Esther van der Knaap, lead researcher of the study published in the journal Science.

Tomatoes, among the most varied crops in terms of size and shape, evolved from a small, round ancestral wild fruit to the many varieties grown today. But little is known about the genetic principles for such transformations in tomatoes or other fruits and vegetables.

“Tomatoes are the model in this emerging field of fruit morphology studies,” said van der Knaap, an assistant professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State University.

“We are trying to understand what kind of genes caused the enormous increase in fruit size and variation in fruit shape as tomatoes were domesticated,” she added.

“Once we know all the genes that were selected during that process, we will be able to piece together how domestication shaped the tomato fruit — and gain a better understanding of what controls the shape of other very diverse crops, such as peppers, cucumbers and gourds.”

She also said that SUN, which takes its name from the oval shaped and pointy “SUN 1642″ tomato variety in which the gene was found, does not show exactly how the fruit-shape phenotype gets changed.

“But what we do know is that turning the gene on is very critical to result in elongated fruit,” she said.

The objective now, van ker Knaap said, is to determine whether the same gene, or one closely related, controls morphology in other fruit and vegetable crops.

The SUN gene affects fruit shape after pollination and fertilization, whereas the only other fruit-shape gene previously identified — known as OVATE — affects the shape of fruit before flowering, the report said.

First day of 2008 gardening season

Today, for me, is the first day of the gardening season for 2008. Today I plant seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and flowers, along with eggplant, indoors.

Our last Spring frost date is May 15th. We plant out about the 1st of May, depending on the weather and how stable it is, using frost blankets that are pretty thick, but don’t require hoops. So I count backwards from the 1st, and that gives me March 15th as the date to plant seeds indoors. If we start any earlier, the plants get too big for good transplanting and fast growth.

So today I put the seeds into 6 flats on heat mats. The mats will hold 8 flats, but I only need 6 today. The flats are filled with the very best potting soil money can buy, and have covers over them. Each flat has 60 large cells. I am planting 2 flats of tomatoes, 2 flats of 20 kinds of peppers, and two flats of flowers and celery and eggplants.

As soon as the seedlings come up we turn on the big 1,000 watt plant light. It rides on a rail across the ceiling, moving back and forth over the flats so they all get the same amount and quality of light. That stays on for 12 hours each night.

I will post again when the seedlings are up, in a few days.

End of Season Summary

The 2007 garden season was fabulous for us. They grew 3 feet high by May 30th, and were 5 feet tall by end of June. We had ripe tomatoes by July 4th. In August we harvested over 100 pounds in one morning for canning. We made 70 quarts of tomato soup with them. The beans did very well, and we have saved plenty of seed for next year from them. The squash did fabulous as well, we had too much summer squash, and lots of butternuts for winter storage. The Winter Luxury Pie pumpkins are beautiful and tasty.

From our yard and the rest of the farm we got walnuts, chestnuts, grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, eggs, and melons.

We are already planning the 2008 garden to be even better and more cooperative in labor and resources. I plan on raising all the transplants again, since last spring was so great for them. I got the timing and growing perfectly meshed now for our season.

End of Season Summary

The tomatoes grew 5 feet tall, and we had ripe toms by July 4th. The Tomcat Hybrids were the first ones to ripen.  The beans did well as long as they had water. The algae bloomed in the lake and clogged the drip irrigation so we had major problems delivering water to contend with. We used portable rainbirds to water with.  The squash grew very well, and we will grow less summer squash next time. And more winter squash.

In August we harvested 100 pounds of tomatoes in one morning and we canned 70 quarts of tomato soup from them over 2 following days.  We canned chutneys, sauces, pickles, and preserves. From around the garden and our from our back yard we harvested chestnuts, peaches, apricots, apples, grapes, and figs, and walnuts.

All in all it was a very successful season and we look forward to next year!

Garden progress is tremendous!

I wish I had the camera! Loren has it with him right now.

The tomatoes are over 5.5 feet tall now, and they have outgrown the cages due to my inattendance at times to cage training.  The plants are impressive and tremendous. They are loaded with fruit.

The rows are actually 45 feet long, so there are even more of them there than I thought. Especially the bush beans. I am harvesting the bush beans right now, and the pole beans that I’m not saving for seed. I am canning them today. So many shapes and colors!
And the summer squash! Wow! What a performance those plants are putting out. I’m baking lots of zuke bread and freezing it. Some bigger ones that escaped our notice until too late are going to the chooks.

We are having some irrigation problems with algae, even with filters in line. It clogs up the T-tape holes.  Have to flush the lines repeatedly to try and help it along.  I wish I had more, but I can’t keep up with weeding what I have.

Am going to start planning for next year while ideas and notes are fresh in my head from this year right now.

This is June of 2007. My garden is above. I no longer garden at home except hydroponically. Now I have garden space at Monty's farm down the road. Look at how good my plants are doing! If you want to know how to grow the best tomato transplants ever, email me and I'll tell you my secrets! These plants are only 5 weeks in the ground and loaded with fruit!

A bit of snowy intermission

I haven't posted here in a while, since I started my own blog on my tomato website. One great thing about having your own server, is you can play around with it as much as you like.

My husband used the new tiller to do a square in the lower garden. I planted Bermuda onion plants, the larger cabbage and cauliflower plants, and I transplanted some garlic plants that were crowded and gone wild in the lower garden from years past. I mulched the area with alfa hay, the store was out of straw.

We hauled 50 bags of steer manure, plus seed starting mix, the very best organic potting soil, and other stuff. We till it into the garden as we work.

Right now, we are visiting my daughter in MN. Yesterday there was a blizzard, and we had to drive from Luci's home back to my Mom's house and our hotel. We saw numerous accidents, as it was very slippery. So we are getting our dose of cold and snow for the year. It was hard to leave home, as it was 80 degrees, and our front yard flowers were in full bloom. I hate missing them. I would so much rather be home.

We get home next week, and the very next day Loren is coming over to work for us for 2 days. He is tackling the tilling of the lower garden, and things like that. I am going to work with him just part of the time, as I have other work waiting for me when we get home. Hopefully I'll have photos to post when I get home.