Archive · 1 Aug 2025
Scientists Discover Potato's Origins: Tomato and Etuberosum Hybridization
Scientists have figured out where potatoes come from!
It turns out the potato is a mix of two plants: tomato and a wild potato called Etuberosum.
About nine million years ago, these two plants mixed their genes.
The tomato, which is the mother, and Etuberosum, the father, created a new plant.
This mix of genes caused today's potatoes, or tubers, to grow.
The tomato gave the instructions on how to grow tubers.
It's like creating something totally new when two different plant species get together!
Scientists discovered the origins of the potato.
The potato's lineage comes from a hybrid of tomato and a wild potato species called Etuberosum.
This interbreeding happened around nine million years ago.
The tomato is the mother, and Etuberosum is the father.
The SP6A gene from the tomato lineage gave the instructions to grow tubers.
- Who
- Researchers at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen led the study.
- What
- Scientists discovered the origin of the modern potato through the hybridization of the tomato and a wild potato species.
- When
- The hybridization event occurred about nine million years ago.
- Where
- The wild tomato grew in the Andes, and Etuberosum is found in central Chile.
- Why
- To understand the origins of the potato and how new traits can evolve through hybridization.
Scientists View
General Public View
Formation of Tubers
Scientists View
The interbreeding event created new genetic combinations which lead to tubers.
General Public View
The interbreeding event created new genetic combinations which lead to tubers.
- Parent Plants
- Tomato and Etuberosum
- Hybridization Time
- Nine million years ago
- Etuberosum Traits
- Thin underground stems, no starchy tubers
- Gene Source for Tubers
- SP6A from tomato lineage
- Published in
- Cell journal