Latest news with #ZhiyangZhang
Observer
02-08-2025
- Science
- Observer
What's a potato? A 9-million-year-old tomato
As a foodstuff, the potato can be baked, boiled, mashed, smashed, hashed, roasted, scalloped, fried, and more. As a crop, it is among the world's most important, with more than 350 million tons produced annually. Its efficiency — it requires less land than wheat or rice — and its ability to grow in a variety of environments have made it essential to global food security. For all that, the plant's origins have remained obscure. Everybody eats potatoes, it seems, but nobody can say where they came from. Now scientists can, and the answer is: tomatoes. According to a study published Thursday, potatoes may have arisen 9 million years ago through the combining of genetic material from Etuberosum, a group of potato-like plants from South America, and wild tomato plants. According to the study, this hybridization event led to the origin of the potato plant's distinctive feature, the tuber, an underground structure that stores nutrients and, as humans eventually discovered, is edible. 'A potato is the child of tomato and Etuberosum,' said Zhiyang Zhang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Cell. 'We did this analysis and we found, 'Oh, he's a child of two plants.'' Scientists have long noted that, aboveground, modern potato plants closely resemble the subgroup of South American species called Etuberosum. But Etuberosum plants do not bear tubers. And genetically, potatoes appear to be more closely related to tomatoes; both fall under the shared genus Solanum. This was confounding: Why did potatoes resemble one plant but share kinship with another? To solve this enigma, a team of international scientists analyzed 128 genomes from the three sister lineages (tomatoes, Etuberosum, and potato plants and their wild relatives), plus three eggplant species as an outside group. The researchers found that the modern spud had a mixed ancestry, which arose from a hybrid tomato and Etuberosum lineages 8 million to 9 million years ago and led to the origin of tubers. This hybridization may have enabled subsequent potato species — there are more than 100 today — to diversify and expand their range across the high Andes, where colder climates prevailed. 'It was a very well-done study,' said Esther van der Knaap, a plant geneticist at the University of Georgia who was not involved in the research. 'It provides a model of how this could happen in many other cases.' At first, the combination of two different plants may not have yielded anything noteworthy. 'There's some ancient mixing of genomes, and some miserable plants is coming out of that,' van der Knaap said. But over time — tens of thousands to perhaps millions of years — natural selection led to 'a whole new species complex,' she said. The study indicates that the genes responsible for tuber formation were a combination of the genetic material from each evolutionary parent. The gene that tells the plant when to start making tubers, called SP6A, originated with the tomato, whereas the gene that controls growth of the underground stems that develop into tubers, known as IT1, came from Etuberosum. Pingxian Zhang, another lead author from the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences, expressed excitement at the possibilities for future studies. Only a handful of potato species are cultivated, and improving on them has posed challenges: As a crop, they are typically propagated through cloning, which limits their genetic variety and makes them more vulnerable to diseases. Engineering potatoes with genetic material from tomatoes could be a promising way forward, Zhang said. In the last few years, researchers have been able to analyze genomes at a much larger scale than before and infer previously opaque evolutionary connections. These studies have 'revolutionized our understanding of what might have occurred in the past,' said Leonie Moyle, an evolutionary biologist at Indiana University, Bloomington, who was not involved in the new research. Regarding the new results, she said, 'if the inferences are correct, they could be exciting.' Richard Veilleux, a horticulturist at Virginia Tech who has traced the origins of the cultivated potato back thousands of years, described the study as 'a creative use of genomics.' 'One of the difficulties with evolutionary studies, of course, is that the species that existed 8 million years ago don't exist anymore,' he said. 'Now we know where potatoes came from a little bit better than we did before.' This article originally appeared in
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First Post
01-08-2025
- Science
- First Post
Is tomato the ‘mother' of potato? What a new study reveals
New research shows that the potato may have evolved from a tomato ancestor nearly nine million years ago. The study explains that wild tomatoes native to the Andes crossed with another plant called Etuberosum. This process of hybridisation led to the mixing of their genetic material, resulting in an entirely new plant line read more Is the beloved potato a 'child' of two plants, including the tomato? Scientists have found that potatoes and tomatoes may be more closely linked than we once thought. ALSO READ | Why America is dyeing potatoes as Easter eggs New research suggests the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor around nine million years ago. According to the study, wild tomatoes that once grew in the Andes crossed with another plant known as Etuberosum. Through a process called hybridisation, the two plants combined their genetic material and created a completely new line of plants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, is the potato really a 'child' of the tomato? Here's what the study says: Did potatoes evolve from tomatoes? A team of evolutionary biologists and genome researchers has traced the potato's roots back to an unexpected meeting with one of its distant relatives: the tomato. The scientists studied 450 genomes from both wild and farmed potato varieties. Their research showed that a wild tomato plant mixed naturally with a potato-like plant known as Etuberosum around nine million years ago. Both these plants had branched off from a shared ancestor nearly 14 million years ago, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Cell. At that time, neither the tomato nor the Etuberosum could grow tubers, the underground, nutrient-rich parts of plants like potatoes, yams or taro. But the hybrid plant they formed could. New research suggests the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor around nine million years ago. Pixabay/Representational Image These tubers developed as a way for the plant to store nutrients underground as the climate in the Andes grew colder. Once people began farming them, they became a vital part of human diets. Zhiyang Zhang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the lead author of the study, said, 'A potato is the child of tomato and Etuberosum.' 'We did this analysis and we found, 'Oh, he's a child of two plants.'' JianQuan Liu, a coauthor of the study and a professor at Lanzhou University in China, told CNN that the team used phylogenetic analysis, a method that traces genetic relationships in a way similar to drawing family trees in humans. This helped them uncover the link between the plants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Their analysis showed that the modern potato contains a 'mosaic-like' pattern of DNA, with traits inherited from both the tomato and Etuberosum. The findings suggest this mix came from a single interbreeding event between eight and nine million years ago. This was possible because the two plants shared a common ancestor 13 to 14 million years ago. Even though they evolved on separate paths after that, they still had enough genetic similarity to interbreed some five million years later. The new potato plant that resulted from this pairing developed tubers, a trait that scientists have now linked to certain genes. Interestingly, while Etuberosum itself does not produce tubers, the potato inherited that ability through its unique blend of genes. Genetically, potatoes still show a closer link to tomatoes. So why do they look like one plant but behave like another? The answer lies in their complex origins. According to the study, wild tomatoes that once grew in the Andes crossed with another plant known as Etuberosum. Pixabay/Representational Image ALSO READ | 10 health perks of boiled potatoes STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why do potato plants grow tubers? Researchers have found that modern potatoes developed tubers thanks to their mixed ancestry, formed when the tomato and Etuberosum lineages combined around eight to nine million years ago. This hybridisation gave rise to the first tuber-producing plants. The study said that the genes behind tuber formation came from both parent plants. The SP6A gene, which tells the plant when to start making tubers, came from the tomato. The IT1 gene, which helps grow the underground stems that become tubers, was passed down from Etuberosum. This genetic mix allowed early potatoes to adapt and spread through the cold, mountainous regions of the Andes. The ability to grow tubers helped the plant store food and water underground, making it more suited to survive in harsh conditions than either tomatoes or Etuberosum. This adaptation gave the potato plant a survival edge. It also kept it from breeding again with tomatoes or Etuberosum, eventually forming a new plant group known as Petota.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How the tomato created the potato
What came first, the potato or the tomato? A new genetics study says the answer is that juicy, fragrant tomatoes were the first to arrive on planet Earth, and eventually helped starchy spuds do the same. About 9 million years ago, a natural inbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and a potato-like plant species in present-day South America gave way to what we know as the potato. This new (and nutritious) plant arose from an evolutionary event that triggered the formation of the tuber–the underground structure that plants like potatoes, yams, and taros use to store food. The findings are detailed in a study published July 31 in the journal Cell. 'Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,' Sanwen Huang, a study co-author and agricultural genomicist at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. 'We've finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.' A puzzling plant Potatoes are one of humanity's most important crops. Spuds provide basic nutrients including carbohydrates, dietary fiber (found in their skin), and vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron. They are also considered a climate-friendly crop by the United Nations, due to their low greenhouse gas emissions compared to other crops. They can also grow in areas where some natural resources are limited and expensive. Potatoes are versatile and can grow in a wide variety of conditions, making them a good crop choice for several regions. Despite being such a staple crop, the origin of this starchy staple has puzzled scientists. Modern potato plants physically look almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosums. However, Etuberosums do not have the signature tubers that allow potatoes to store nutrients and easily reproduce. This is part of why Etuberosums are considered 'potato-like' and not full spuds. Phylogenetic analysis also shows that potato plants are actually more closely related to tomatoes than Etuberosums. To look closer, the research team from this new paper studied 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes common on farms and 56 wild potato species. 'Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analyzed,' added Zhiyang Zhang, a study co-author and biologist at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, part of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Every potato species contained a mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants. According to the team, this suggests that modern potatoes originated from a hybridization event–when individuals from two different species successfully reproduce–between these plants millions of years ago. While Etuberosums and tomatoes are distinct species, they do share a common ancestor that lived about 14 million years ago. Even after diverging for about 5 million years, both could interbreed. This interbreeding is what gave rise to the earliest potato plants with tubers roughly 9 million years ago. [ Related: Scientists finally figured out why tomatoes don't kill you. ] A model of survival The researchers also traced the origins of the key tuber-forming genes within the potato. The gene that tells the plant when to start making tubers (called SP6A) came from the tomato side of the family and not the potato-like plants. A separate important gene which helps control growth of the underground stems that form tubers (called IT1) came from the Etuberosum side. Without either of these genetic pieces, it would be impossible for the resulting hybrid offspring to produce tubers. Additionally, this evolutionary innovation overlapped with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountains. New ecological environments were emerging with all of this upheaval. Early potatoes were able to respond with a tuber that stores nutrients underground–a very helpful trait for surviving harsh mountain weather conditions. Tubers also allow potato plants to reproduce without pollination or seeds. Buds sprout right from the tuber to grow new plants, so this trait helped potatoes rapidly spread. They eventually filled diverse ecological niches from the mild lower-lying grasslands up to high and cold meadows in Central and South America. 'Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,' Huang said. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
31-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
‘This wasn't obvious': the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor, researchers find
When it comes to the senses, there could not be a greater difference between Friday night chips and juicy Mediterranean tomatoes. However, scientists have discovered that these two foods are not so far from each other after all. Landmark research has found the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor nearly 9 million years ago. Wild tomatoes, which grew in the Andes, crossed with a plant called Etuberosum, and through a process called hybridisation, they mixed their genetic material to form an entirely new lineage. 'Tomato is the mother and Etuberosum is the father,' said Sanwen Huang, a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, China, who led the research team. 'But this wasn't obvious at first.' Above the ground, potato plants look almost identical to the Etuberosum. But pull them up and the difference is clear: Etuberosum has thin underground stems and none of the starchy potato tubers that make them a global food staple. To explain the tubers, scientists turned to the tomato. Though it does not produce tubers, it shares a strikingly similar genetic profile. 'They belong to the same plant family, along with eggplant and tobacco, but tomato, potato, and Etuberosum are closest genetically,' said Huang. 'So we decided to zoom in.' As described in Cell, the team analysed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 of the wild species. 'This is one of the largest genomic collections of wild potatoes ever analysed,' said the first author, Zhiyang Zhang. The team discovered that two genes were crucial to make tubers: SP6A, found in the tomato, and IT1, found in Etuberosum. Neither gene is enough on its own. But when the two combine, as in the potato plant, they interact, triggering the powerful process that transforms underground stems into the starchy, tasty tubers. 'The study is groundbreaking,' said James Mallet, a professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University. 'It shows how a hybridisation event can spark the emergence of a new organ – and even lead to new lineage with many species.' The potatoes inherited a stable mix of genes from both parents, making it a sturdy, resilient plant. Its tubers store energy, helping it survive winter or drought and allowing it to reproduce without the need for seeds or pollinators. Instead, new plants grow from buds that sprout on the tubers. The nutrient-rich organs helped potatoes to thrive in the new, high-altitude habitats of the rising Andes. The plants adapted and spread, leading to an explosion in diversity. Humans domesticated a number of the wild species, selecting those with large, edible tubers. 'The Indigenous people in the Andes have hundreds of varieties of potatoes,' said Dr Sandra Knapp, a botanist at the Natural History Museum, London. 'In Europe, we have maybe five – all from one species: Solanum tuberosum.' The potato left the Andes onboard Spanish ships in the 16th century. Initially met with suspicion – it grew underground, wasn't in the Bible and looked strange – it was soon embraced for its nutrition and ability to endure poor conditions. It became a staple across Europe and the wider world. It is unclear what's next for this adaptable plant as its closest relatives have diverged too far for natural hybridisation to happen again. But researchers are exploring artificial ways to create new varieties. 'We're working on a project that helps potatoes reproduce by seeds,' said Prof Huang. 'And we're putting the IT1 and other necessary genes from potato into tomato, so it can grow tubers.' For now, it is all experimental. But if it works, the tomato will not just be part of the potato's past – it could become part of its future too.
New York Times
31-07-2025
- Science
- New York Times
What's a Potato? A Nine-Million-Year-Old Tomato.
As a foodstuff, the potato can be baked, boiled, mashed, smashed, hashed, roasted, scalloped, fried and more. As a crop, it is among the world's most important, with more than 350 million tons produced annually. Its efficiency — it requires less land than wheat or rice — and its ability to grow in a variety of environments has made it essential to global food security. For all that, the plant's origins have remained obscure. Everybody eats potatoes, it seems, but nobody can say where they came from. Now scientists can, and the answer is: tomatoes. According to a study published on Thursday, potatoes may have arisen nine million years ago through the combining of genetic material from Etuberosum, a group of potato-like plants from South America, and wild tomato plants. According to the study, this hybridization event led to the origin of the potato plant's distinctive feature, the tuber, an underground structure that stores nutrients and, as humans eventually discovered, is edible. 'A potato is the child of tomato and Etuberosum,' said Zhiyang Zhang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Cell. 'We did this analysis and we found, 'Oh, he's a child of two plants.'' Scientists have long noted that, aboveground, modern potato plants closely resemble the subgroup of South American species called Etuberosum. But Etuberosum plants do not bear tubers. And genetically, potatoes appear to be more closely related to tomatoes; both fall under the shared genus Solanum. This was confounding: Why did potatoes resemble one plant but share kinship with another? To solve this enigma, a team of international scientists analyzed 128 genomes from the three sister lineages (tomatoes, Etuberosum, and potato plants and their wild relatives), plus three eggplant species as an outside group. The researchers found that the modern spud had a mixed ancestry, which arose from a hybrid tomato and Etuberosum lineages eight million to nine million years ago and led to the origin of tubers. This hybridization may have enabled subsequent potato species — there are more than 100 today — to diversify and expand their range across the high Andes, where colder climates prevailed. 'It was a very well-done study,' said Esther van der Knaap, a plant geneticist at University of Georgia who was not involved in the research. 'It provides a model of how this could happen in many other cases.' At first, the combination of two different plants may not have yielded anything noteworthy. 'There's some ancient mixing of genomes, and there's some miserable plants coming out of that,' Dr. van der Knaap said. But over time — tens of thousands to perhaps millions of years — natural selection led to 'a whole new species complex,' she said. The study indicates that the genes responsible for tuber formation were a combination of the genetic material from each evolutionary parent. The gene that tells the plant when to start making tubers, called SP6A, originated with the tomato, whereas the gene that controls growth of the underground stems that develop into tubers, known as IT1, came from Etuberosum. Pingxian Zhang, another lead author from the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences, expressed excitement at the possibilities for future studies. Only a handful of potato species are cultivated, and improving on them has posed challenges: As a crop, they are typically propagated through cloning, which limits their genetic variety and makes them more vulnerable to diseases. Engineering potatoes with genetic material from tomatoes could be a promising way forward, Dr. Zhang said. In the last few years, researchers have been able to analyze genomes at a much larger scale than before and infer previously opaque evolutionary connections. These studies have 'revolutionized our understanding of what might have occurred in the past,' said Leonie Moyle, an evolutionary biologist at Indiana University, Bloomington, who was not involved in the new research. Regarding the new results, she said, 'if the inferences are correct, they could be exciting.' Richard Veilleux, a horticulturist at Virginia Tech who has traced the origins of the cultivated potato back thousands of years, described the study as 'a creative use of genomics.' 'One of the difficulties with evolutionary studies, of course, is that the species that existed eight million years ago don't exist anymore,' he said. 'Now we know where potatoes came from a little bit better than we did before.'
