Pomato
The pomato (a portmanteau of potato and tomato), also known as a tomtato, is a grafted plant that is produced by grafting together a tomato plant and a potato plant, both of which are members of the Solanum genus in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. Cherry tomatoes grow on the vine, while white potatoes grow in the soil from the same plant.[1]
Background
[edit]The concept of grafting related potatoes and tomatoes so that both are produced on the same plant dates back to at least 1833.[2]
As with all grafts, this plant will not occur in nature and cannot be grown from seed, because the two parts of the plant remain genetically separate, and only rely on each other for nourishment and growth. As in most standard types of plant grafting, a small incision is made in the stem of each plant and they are strapped together. Once the cuts have healed and the plants are joined, the leafy top of the potato plant can be cut away and the roots of the tomato can be removed, leaving the leaves of the tomato plant to nourish the roots of the potato plant.[3] The rootstock (potato) acts as a stable and healthy root system and the scions (tomato) are chosen for their fruit, flowers or leaves. The tomatoes should be ready to harvest after about 12 weeks during the summer months; the potatoes should be ready after the tomato leaves begin to die back, normally in early autumn.[4] Grafting in this way can be used to produce many different related crops from the same plant, for example the increasingly popular 'fruit salad' tree, which is a single tree that produces multiple types of citrus fruits, or a tree with a variety of fruits with stones (peach, plum, etc.).[5]
Benefits
[edit]Pomato plants have been seen as a new technology to make food production more efficient, as they maximize the number of crops that can be produced on a piece of land or in a small urban environment like a balcony.[6] This has significant impacts on developing countries like Kenya, where farmers can save on space, time and labor, without affecting the quality of their produce, by growing pomato plants.[7] In addition, grafting can improve resistance to bacteria, viruses and fungi, attract a more diverse group of pollinators and provide a sturdy trunk for delicate ornamental plants.[5]
Commercial products
[edit]Grafted pomato plants were launched in the United Kingdom in September 2013 by the horticultural mail-order company Thompson & Morgan, who sold pre-grafted plants branded as the "TomTato". The Incredible Edible nursery in New Zealand announced a "DoubleUP Potato Tom" in the same month.[8] Thompson & Morgan say that this was the first time the plant had been produced commercially; director Paul Hansord said he got the TomTato idea 15 years before in the US, when visiting a garden where someone had planted a potato under a tomato as a joke.[9]
In fiction
[edit]- Pomatos play a central role in the 1969 book The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich, where a tomato/potato hybrid is invented by the book's antagonist, Gladyshev, but later eaten by a cow. The plant was called the 'Path to Socialism' or PATS.[10]
See also
[edit]- Tomacco – Recreations of fictional products from The Simpsons
References
[edit]- ^ Greene, David (27 September 2013). "TomTato Is The Latest Wonderplant". NPR News. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Le Bon jardinier, almanach. 1833.
- ^ "How to create a pomato plant". Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ "Pomato Plants". The Guru (36). 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ a b Jabr, Ferris (September 10, 2012). "The Science of Pomato Plants and Fruit Salad Trees". Scientific American. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ "Kenyan farmers produce 'pomato' plants to improve land use". Fresh Fruit Portal. June 9, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ "Prison grows unique 'pomato' to fight hunger". Business Daily Africa. June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ Jude Gillies. "Potato Tom opens fresh doors". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
- ^ Hall, John (27 September 2013). "The TomTato: Plant which produces both potatoes and tomatoes launched in UK". The Independent. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Voinovich (1995). The Life & Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin. nytryck. p. 64. ISBN 0810112434.