Groundcherries Get Genome Tweaks To Become Next Major Berry Crop

A small fruit known as a "groundcherry," sometimes also spelled as the two words ground cherry, have been on the receiving end of beneficial gene editing. Unlike strawberries and other popular berry crops, groundcherries are relatively unknown and hard to find. That could change in the future, though, thanks to gene edits that help eliminate some of the crop's wild side.

Groundcherries, sometimes also called a strawberry tomato, are small and found growing in the wilds of South and Central America. The fruit is about the size of a marble when ready to eat, described as having a tart or sour flavor with a complex "tropical" and sometimes vanilla taste.

The plant is wild and not produced as a major crop, but it has some benefits over traditional crop berries — it is tolerant of drought, for one thing, making it an appealing option for farmers experiencing crop loss due to warmer temperatures and less rain.

Groundcherries are currently a wild crop, but a newly published study reveals successful work using gene editing and genomics to add favorable traits, including changes to the shape of the plant and the size of the fruit, as well as the number of flowers the plants produce.

These technologies sidestep traditional breeding techniques, greatly expediting the amount of time it takes to "domesticate" the wild plant and make it a viable major berry crop. The team of researchers addressed some of the plant's problems, such as a weed-like shape and small fruit size, to make it a viable crop option.

Additional work may be done, including improving the fruit's color and flavor. It's yet to be seen whether farmers will ever produce groundcherries in large quantities, however.

SOURCE: EurekAlert