Italian researchers have discovered a new way of producing 'virgin' tomatoes without pollination or fertilisation, a team from Verona University and the Experimental Research Council (CRA) said Friday.
The seedless tomatoes were produced after scientists suppressed a gene in the plant that regulates the activity of auxin, a hormone essential for all plant growth.
The hormone is responsible for the development of plant embryos, the formation of roots and plant responses to gravity and light, and its suppression in tomato plants leads to so-called parthenocarpic, or virgin, fruit development and leaf fusions, the researchers said.
While this is not the first time virgin tomatoes have been produced through genetic manipulation, the researchers said the the study, published in Plant Physiology, could have wider implications for producing fruit under difficult conditions.
''Parthenocarpy is greatly appreciated in horticulture because it allows the production of fruit even in environments that are unfavourable for pollination, and because the absence of seeds can improve the quality of the fruit,'' said CRA's Giuseppe Leonardo Rotino.
