Solanum pennellii

joseph · April 29, 2018

Tomatoes tend towards being desert adapted species.

My understanding of the way California tomatoes are being grown, is that they are being grown in areas with a high water table, and they are tapping into the existing groundwater. Which is a different scenario than how we do dry-farming here in the mountain valleys, where there is no ground-water within reach, just residual moisture from the winter snows.

One time, I saw a volunteer tomato growing in the Nevada desert, in an area that gets around 9" of rain per year. It was growing near a juniper, which I'd expect to vigorously compete for water. There were ripe fruits on the plant.

Domestic tomato has been selected to do best when pampered with things like irrigation, so it has big lush leaves that require lots of water... Some of the wild species have traits that are more suitable for desert environments. For example, S galapagense, and S chilense have small leaves, a typical strategy of desert adapted plants. Some of the wild species have grayish leaves. Another typical adaptation to growing in the desert.

S pennellii, is a desert adapted plant, but adapted to a foggy desert, so it readily absorbs dew from it's leaves. Therefore, it tends to have a weak root system.

When I eventually start breeding for desert adapted tomatoes, my strategy is likely to include:

Select for frost tolerance, in order to extend the growing season in the spring when there is more winter-water in the soil.
Select for good growth and productivity in spite of the cold nights typical of deserts. Some of my tomatoes fold their leaves up at night. I suspect that protects against radiant cooling which it typical in deserts.
Select for self-incompatibility and promiscuous pollination, so that the genetics can rapidly reorganize themselves to adapt to desert conditions.
Select for weediness, and the ability to volunteer.
I suspect that they will self select for small, thick, compound leaves and gray looking foliage. Traits that are common in desert adapted plants.
I wonder if they will end up with really funky smelling foliage? Perhaps as a predator deterrent?

I thought that the most interesting line in the article was, "We [...] found increased mesophyll cell size and leaf ploidy levels, suggesting that endoreduplication underpins leaf thickness in tomato." Wow! Wow! Wow! So the thick leaves could be tetraploid, while the flower structure remains diploid. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Solanum pennellii

April 29, 2018	#14
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	Tomatoes tend towards being desert adapted species. My understanding of the way California tomatoes are being grown, is that they are being grown in areas with a high water table, and they are tapping into the existing groundwater. Which is a different scenario than how we do dry-farming here in the mountain valleys, where there is no ground-water within reach, just residual moisture from the winter snows. One time, I saw a volunteer tomato growing in the Nevada desert, in an area that gets around 9" of rain per year. It was growing near a juniper, which I'd expect to vigorously compete for water. There were ripe fruits on the plant. Domestic tomato has been selected to do best when pampered with things like irrigation, so it has big lush leaves that require lots of water... Some of the wild species have traits that are more suitable for desert environments. For example, S galapagense, and S chilense have small leaves, a typical strategy of desert adapted plants. Some of the wild species have grayish leaves. Another typical adaptation to growing in the desert. S pennellii, is a desert adapted plant, but adapted to a foggy desert, so it readily absorbs dew from it's leaves. Therefore, it tends to have a weak root system. When I eventually start breeding for desert adapted tomatoes, my strategy is likely to include: Select for frost tolerance, in order to extend the growing season in the spring when there is more winter-water in the soil. Select for good growth and productivity in spite of the cold nights typical of deserts. Some of my tomatoes fold their leaves up at night. I suspect that protects against radiant cooling which it typical in deserts. Select for self-incompatibility and promiscuous pollination, so that the genetics can rapidly reorganize themselves to adapt to desert conditions. Select for weediness, and the ability to volunteer. I suspect that they will self select for small, thick, compound leaves and gray looking foliage. Traits that are common in desert adapted plants. I wonder if they will end up with really funky smelling foliage? Perhaps as a predator deterrent? I thought that the most interesting line in the article was, "We [...] found increased mesophyll cell size and leaf ploidy levels, suggesting that endoreduplication underpins leaf thickness in tomato." Wow! Wow! Wow! So the thick leaves could be tetraploid, while the flower structure remains diploid. Wow! Wow! Wow! Solanum pennellii Last edited by joseph; April 29, 2018 at 04:07 PM.