A New Tomato Ideal for Small Spaces

Farmers could soon be growing tomatoes bunched like grapes in a storage unit, on the roof of a skyscraper, or even in space. That's if a clutch of new gene-edited crops prove as fruitful as the first batch.

The primary goal of this new research is to engineer a wider variety of crops that can be grown in urban environments or other places not suitable for plant growth, said Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor and HHMI Investigator Zach Lippman, who leads the lab that designed the 'urban agriculture tomatoes.'

These new gene-edited tomato plants look nothing like the long vines you might find growing in a backyard garden or in agricultural fields. The most notable feature is their bunched, compact fruit. They resemble a bouquet whose roses have been replaced by ripe cherry tomatoes. They also mature quickly, producing ripe fruit that's ready for harvest in under 40 days. And you can eat them.

"They have a great small shape and size, they taste good, but of course that all depends on personal preference," Lippman said.

Most importantly, they're eco-friendly.
"This demonstrates how we can produce crops in new ways, without having to tear up the land as much or add excessive fertilizer that runs off into rivers and streams," Lippman said. "Here's a complementary approach to help feed people, locally and with a reduced carbon footprint."

(Source: Agriculture and Food News, ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com)

When three specific genetic mutations are combined and tuned just right, scientists can turn tomato plants into extremely compact bushes ideal for urban agriculture. Just two of these mutations (insert, left) shortens the normally vine-like plants to grow in a field, but all three (insert, right) causes their fruits to bunch like grapes. Researchers cut away the plant’s leaves for a clearer view of the new tomatoes.