Posted on 02/12/2016 9:24:30 PM PST by JimSEA
Wild tomatoes are better able to protect themselves against the destructive whitefly than our modern, commercial varieties, new research has shown.
The study, published today in the academic journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development, shows that in our quest for larger redder, longer-lasting tomatoes we have inadvertently bred out key characteristics that help the plant defend itself against predators.
Dual mode of resistance in wild tomatoes
Led by Newcastle University, UK, the research shows that wild tomatoes have a dual line of defence against these voracious pests; an initial mechanism which discourages the whitefly from settling on the plant in the first place and a second line of defence which happens inside the plant where a chemical reaction causes the plant sap to "gum up" blocking the whitefly's feeding tube.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
"There has been growing interest in traditional and wild varieties of fruit and veg, driven mainly by people wanting to re-capture the tastes of their childhood," explains Dr Brogan.
The produce we get at the market is disappointingly bland and tasteless and we've gotten too old to do more than herb and limited vegetable gardening.
Especially tomatoes, tasteless.
GMO is not wise, our understanding of tomato breeding demonstrates this. It is also why heritage varieties of plants are so valuable to organic gardeners. Not only are they more disease resistant in nature but they taste so much better.
My favorite source
http://www.rareseeds.com/
Just out of curiosity, how large do wild tomatoes become?
I have a neighbor who grows tomatoes that are the size of a large orange. They are the largest tomatoes I have ever seen.
Machine picked fruit needs to be tough.
I’ve no problem with GMO in theory, I just wish they could avoid “bland and tasteless” fruits and veggies just for shelf life and insect resistance. That is don’t breed out the good stuff both in terms of natural resistances and, of course, taste. Easier said than done.
Getchur' motor runnin'
Head out on the highway...
Unfortunately they have all the flavor of a shaved tennis ball.
Peaches are inedible. It’s like biting into a rock.
Of course, what you advocate in retaining the original or breed in more traditional means is very essential. Also, there can be a definite market if our local, small farm produce stands are any indication.
That is true. But the elephant in the room for all produce is this: The average consumer buys by sight. That is why the old red varieties of apples have disappeared from the produce departments of grocery stores. They aren't eye appealing and don't sell, so the grower had to adapt by searching for and growing redder, brighter and better keeping fruit to stay in business,
If the grower can't make a living doing what he loves he does something else.
Another little fact that is overlooked by the elites is that without the large farms and the sophisticated storage and delivery infrastructure that is in place today, the food supply would be severely curtailed.
Most of you won't remember when tomatoes weren't in stores until May or June. Potatoes weren't in short supply and sprouting by Feb. or March. In short, the produce section in most stores nearly didn't exist until the summer produce was available.
Just pay a little more for hand picked. The consumer will pay. I think the cost of labor for hand picked fruit and veggies is like 2 cents per head of lettuce for example.
Most “modern” produce is garbage. Bananas are still good and a few others things. They haven’t screwed up carrots yet but I am sure they are working on it.
The pictures of the corn, tomato and carrot in your link bring back good memories. Green corn tamales these days are like like eating tasteless mush.
A ripe peach is sort of a delicate thing, it doesn’t stay in that perfect ripeness range for very long at all, for one. For another, they bruise so easily when they’re just about perfect to eat. We’re outside the ideal climate for growing peaches here but they’re planted still by many, and pulling a ripe peach off the tree is a treat, if the wildlife doesn’t get to it first. We can drive an hour and get fresh peaches from roadside stands in season, though, so we do get to enjoy them. Nothing quite like it, the aroma of ripe peaches, they’re so soft and juicy. I know people who eat them like an apple, peach fuzz and all. Never been able to do that myself.
I believe the per head cost is more than that. But, the real cost is not the harvesting. The real cost is in the handling, that is preparing the product for shipment, packing, transportation, distribution center cost mark-up and then the store mark-up.
Truthfully speaking, what the grower receives for the product is fractional compared to the added costs to get the product to a place where you can purchase it. Exception being if you live close enough to the growing area where a road-side stand or farmer's market exists.
I buy the “engineered” peaches and bring them home. They are like stone. So I let them sit for a week. The outside starts to actually rot and the inside just under the skin is STILL HARD AS A ROCK. Its a waste of my time and money.
Sandhills region of NC is about as far north as you’ll find widespread peach farming. If you vacation at NC or SC beaches, look for the roadside peach stands and buy a couple of bags full. That’s what we do. You can peel, slice and freeze what you can’t eat, they take it reasonably well.
The lettuce is touched twice once buy the picker and once by the produce clerk. That's it.
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