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Brother Buzz

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18. There were more than 408 varieties of tomatos if you count the wild tomatoes from South America

Fri Feb 8, 2013, 12:47 PM

Feb 2013

UC Davis professor Charles M. Rick Jr. was a collecting fool when it came to wild tomatoes from South America alone. I heard him talk tomatoes years ago; he knew tomatoes!

Recognizing the potential value of wild germ plasm as a genetic reservoir for the improvement of the domestic crop, Charley undertook 15 expeditions to South America, between 1948 and 1995. In the Andean regions of Peru, Ecuador and Chile and the Galapagos Islands, he collected 700 specimens among the native populations of all the Lycopersicon species and the related Solanum species. (Many populations are now extinct in their native habitats.)

The C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center has about 250 varieties at their banks (bummer, the seeds are only available for bona fide researchers :
http://tgrc.ucdavis.edu/Data/Acc/dataframe.aspx?start=AccSearch.aspx

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There used to be 408 varieties of tomato. Guess how many we have now. [View all] TalkingDog Feb 2013 OP

What could possibly go wrong? Berlum Feb 2013 #1

Surely not a blight or disease that wipes out an entire species because of a lack TalkingDog Feb 2013 #2

this is the exact reason I start with in opposing Monsatos GM crops. KittyWampus Feb 2013 #34

By 83? el_bryanto Feb 2013 #7

It's not quite the "ZOMG! MONSANTO!" conspiracy some think. trotsky Feb 2013 #9

Yeah - it's one of those things - el_bryanto Feb 2013 #12

Yep. trotsky Feb 2013 #13

I've been noticing more in our local store laundry_queen Feb 2013 #16

yummm I have noticed alot more herilooms littlewolf Feb 2013 #31

Like the ones commercially grown and sold in stores taste good. n.t TexasProgresive Feb 2013 #15

So True. The store-bought were never as good as what we grew in our garden. /nt dballance Feb 2013 #27

Oh and you can bet they probably never will be. trotsky Feb 2013 #33

But at least they used to taste like a tomato TexasProgresive Feb 2013 #37

I Love it in the Spring and Summer When the Farmers' Markets are Open dballance Feb 2013 #38

Yes Farmers` Markets rock! Sadiedog Feb 2013 #40

How many of those 408 varieties were in fact MattBaggins Feb 2013 #22

a key question is how many "true" varieties have been replace by hybrids. dixiegrrrrl Feb 2013 #25

That's why I love organizations like Seed Savers... Earth_First Feb 2013 #3

A: 3,000 heirloom varities and 10,000+ known KurtNYC Feb 2013 #4

Yep. Tomatoes are in fact expanding in number The Second Stone Feb 2013 #17

exactly. i try anf grow out one rare heirloom type a year.nt Mojorabbit Feb 2013 #20

I am hopeful that flavorful, great textured tomatoes will rise in availabilty thanks to KurtNYC Feb 2013 #23

In April, our town will host TomatoMania, a 2-day event DollarBillHines Feb 2013 #28

I have suggested updated "sod roofs" in urban areas. KittyWampus Feb 2013 #36

My current Totally Tomatoes catalog lists over 250 varieties Retrograde Feb 2013 #35

That is chilling. nt Mnemosyne Feb 2013 #5

NRaleighLiberal is the man to ask about tomatoes. nt OnyxCollie Feb 2013 #6

Here's a site that lists 4,385 drm604 Feb 2013 #8

I was going to say - I'm pretty sure I could find more than 79 in my seed catalogs bhikkhu Feb 2013 #10

And your average supermarket tomato these days is almost tasteless. marmar Feb 2013 #11

Yep laundry_queen Feb 2013 #14

There were more than 408 varieties of tomatos if you count the wild tomatoes from South America Brother Buzz Feb 2013 #18

Only a narrow few varieties are grown commercially Gman Feb 2013 #19

"found in the National Seed Storage Laboratory" Spider Jerusalem Feb 2013 #21

Still waiting for this one thelordofhell Feb 2013 #24

what do we do about it? Liberal_in_LA Feb 2013 #26

i am pretty sure jung's offers more varieties than that. pansypoo53219 Feb 2013 #29

Why does this matter? oberliner Feb 2013 #30

Gardner, tomato junkie here. I've grown over 100 different varieties in my life. Lone_Star_Dem Feb 2013 #32

Victory seeds has 345 tomato varieties listed. politicat Feb 2013 #39