An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato.
In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers suggest this ancient evolutionary event triggered the formation of the tuber, the enlarged underground structure that stores nutrients found in plants like potatoes, yams, and taros.
“Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,” says corresponding author Sanwen Huang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. “We’ve finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.”
As one of the world’s most important crops, the potato’s origin had long puzzled scientists. In appearance, modern potato plants are almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosum. But these plants do not carry tubers. Based on phylogenetic analysis, potato plants are more closely related to tomatoes.
To solve this contradiction, the research team analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 of the wild potato species.
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