By Michelle Fabio

In response to SUN Gene Gives Tomato Its Shape, Tomato Casual reader Esther Montgomery of Esther in the Garden wrote:

“About long / round tomatoes – Elongated varieties never seem to rise to the same quality of flavour as round ones. Are you able to explain this?”

This is a very interesting question, Esther, and I have to admit that I don’t know whether there is any scientific answer; I will, however, put forth my first reaction:

Quality and flavor Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

Ever wonder why cherry tomatoes are small and round while Romas are long and oval-shaped?

Crop scientists at Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) did, and through studies “identified one key candidate gene that was turned on at high levels in the tomato varieties carrying the elongated fruit type, while the gene was turned off in round fruit.”

They named that gene SUN after the “Sun 1642” type of tomato, which looks like a Roma with a pointy end.

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