Scientists Produce Sweeter Tomatoes Without Yield Penalty

A study conducted by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and partners demonstrated the potential of gene editing to increase sugar content in tomatoes without affecting the weight and yield of the fruit. This scientific breakthrough could pave the way for sweeter tomatoes in the market.

Tomato is one of the world's most widely cultivated crops, valued for its nutritional content and contributions to human health. Various literature showed a significant correlation between tomato's sugar content and consumer preferences, with most consumers preferring sweeter tomatoes. However, commercially available varieties of tomatoes generally contain low sugar content.

The researchers said that SlCPK27 and SlCDPK26 act as sugar brakes by phosphorylating a sucrose synthase, which promotes the degradation of the sucrose synthase. The results of the study showed that SlCPK27 and SlCDPK26 knockouts increased glucose and fructose contents by up to 30% without fruit weight and yield penalty. Their findings provide significant insights and opportunities to enhance the sweetness of large-fruited cultivars without affecting size and yield.

For more information, read the article from Nature.