April 18, 2022

Eat This Podcast -- Tomatoes: domestication and diversity

Hello

The discovery of truly wild tomatoes in Mexico recently allowed researchers to finally tell a story of tomato domestication that fits all the available evidence. The feast of diversity that resulted in traditional tomato varieties, however, is not mirrored in genetic diversity. In fact, modern, scientifically-bred tomatoes are more diverse than traditional varieties, and almost a quarter of so-called traditional varieties are “tainted” by modern genetics.

Jose Blanca, one of the researchers involved in these two recent discoveries, told me more about what they found and what it means. Take a listen.

All the best

Jeremy