Two laboratories from the Boyce Thompson Institute, in collaboration with an
international research group based in Germany, contributed to the genome
sequence of a wild tomato relative. The wild tomato species, Solanum
pennellii is endemic to the Andes regions of South America, and can be
crossed with cultivated tomatoes (S. lycopersicum). It is used by tomato
breeders as source of drought and pathogen resistance in addition to yield
and fruit quality traits. The genome sequence will enhance the uses of this
species for more efficient breeding and basic biological inquiries into the
genes that distinguish the modern tomato from this wild relative.

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