Overview
Tomato comprises a diverse collection of accessions that vary in many traits including those related to fruit quality. Driven by domestication, variation in fruit weight, shape and flavor have created a diverse germplasm that does not resemble very well its immediate ancestor, the ancestral Solanum lycopersicum var cerasiforme. The main focus of our lab is on the genetic bases of fruit weight, shape and flavor. This includes conducting research to gain molecular, cellular and cell biological, and biochemical insights into the regulation of these traits. In addition, the understanding of the molecular and genetic bases of fruit diversity offers insights into the evolutionary processes of tomato domestication and selection. An old historical overview of the origin of tomato based on morphology can be found here Tomato Fruit Morphology (PDF). More knowledge has been gained by our lab over the years as you can find in the publications tab on this website. Thank you for taking a virtual tour of the lab.
