The Secret Sex Life of Tomatoes (At the Lyric)

We’re sponsoring a fun and free event at The Lyric on Thursday, January 27th at 6:30 pm. Learn all about the reproduction cycles of tomato plants from Dr. Amanda Broz while enjoying a pint or two!

Overview:

Sex in the plant world is a little different from that in the animal world, but no less exciting! Plants don’t use the lame pickup lines, but they have devised numerous ways to identify the perfect mate. At the core of these are biochemical mechanisms that determine whether males and females are sexually compatible. Mate choice in plants also determines what types of crop varieties plant breeders can create, and ultimately, what is on your plate. All off ur domesticated crops are derived from wild plant relatives. Many of these wild relatives harbor traits important for disease resistance, nutritional content and drought tolerance – to name a few. However the ability to access these important traits all relies on plant sexual compatibility. The tomato is a great case study to investigate how one crop and some of its wild relatives have transitioned from being very selective to highly promiscuous in mate choice.

Dr. Amanda Broz finds most things in the natural environment fascinating but takes a particular interest in plants. A major goal of her research is to link molecular and chemical signatures in plants to physiological and evolutionary outcomes. She currently works as a Research Scientist in the Biology Department at Colorado State University.

More information here

Originally published on January 25th, 2022.