Researchers Shai Torgeman and Professor Dani Zamir from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel have developed a new drought-resistant tomato variety to help withstand the impact of climate change according to a release.
Torgeman and Zamir crossbred two different tomato species. One specie is a wild variety from the deserts of western Peru, while the other is a widely available common commercial cultivar. Two areas of the tomato’s genome that interacted increased yield and drought resistance. These specific areas within the plant’s genome caused a 20%-50% increase in the overall yield in both average and dry conditions. The plant sized was also increased.
The researchers also found that utilizing a wild species can be an option when looking to increase output and this method can be applied to other plants in the future.
More information: Media Line.
