A Study of the Tomato and Its Cultivation Essay

The tomato and its close relatives are believed to have originated in the mountainous regions of the Andes (Peru, Ecuador and Chile). Other distinct relatives are found among the flora of the Galapagos Islands. These relatives can be found in many environments, from high, moist elevations in the mountains to dry coastal regions and variations inbetween. Domestication of the tomato is believed to have occurred with the early civilizations of Mexico. The name tomato may have been derived from the Aztec word tomatl (which really means tomatillo). European explorers brought the tomato from the Americas and disseminated it throughout Europe and Asia sometime during the 16th century. The tomato is now cultivated world-wide in a variety of environments.The common tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., belongs to an extremely diverse and large family the Solanaceae. Often refered to as the Nightshade family, this family contains many of our commonly cultivated plants (potato, peppers, eggplant, tobacco, petunias, tomatillo) and various weeds (nightshades, jimson weed). It may have been this association with the nightshades which originally led people to believe the tomato to be poisionous. It was therefore fortunate that Miller changed the species name to esculentum which roughly means "edible". The common cultivated tomato belongs to the genus Lycopersicon. This genus exhibits a vast reservoir of genetic variability which remains largely underexploited. Some disease resistance, which is now a part of most commercially available cultivars, has been derived from related species of Lycopersicon. However, these other species may provide other potential benefits such as heat or cold tolerance, salt tolerance, higher nutrient amounts and possibly other yet undiscovered potentials. Some of these species cross readily to Lycopersicon esculentum, but a few others have compatability barriers which make gene transfer by sexual means more difficult.The genus Lycopersicon has one closely related genus Solanum (of which Irish potatoes belong) which may one day provide other useful traits provided the technology of gene transfer progresses. It was at one time considered...

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