Tomatoes can 'eat' insects

[Zenos]

Garden vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes have been found to be deadly killers on a par with Venus fly traps, according to research.

Botanists have discovered for the first time that the plants are carnivorous predators who kill insects in order to "self-fertilise" themselves.

New research shows that they capture and kill small insects with sticky hairs on their stems and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground.

It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild in order to supplement the nutrients in poor quality soil – but even domestic varieties grown in your vegetable patch retain the ability.

The killer plants have been identified as among a host of species that are thought to have been overlooked by botanists and explorers searching the world’s remotest regions for carnivorous species.

The number of carnivorous plants is thought to have been underestimated by up to 50 per cent and many of them have until now been regarded as among the most benign of plants.

Among them are species of petunia, ornamental tobacco plants, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, and shepherd’s purse, a relative of cabbages.

Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realised.

Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.

“We suspect in the domesticated varieties they are getting plenty of food through the roots from us so don’t get much benefit from trapping insects. In the wild they could be functioning in the way that could properly be considered carnivorous.”

The study said it is likely that the meat-eating qualities of many plants has gone unrecognised because they are missing some of the prime characteristics associated with carnivorous species.

The researchers, publishing their finding in the ‘Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society’, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.

“We are accustomed to think of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply unnerving about the thought of carnivorous plants," they added.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wil...t-insects.html

[Alex Linder]

That's quite interesting. I have noticed those spurs and wondered at them. Have never seen any killed insects in them, though.

What a crappy year it was for tomatoes. I had two plants in 2009, and they produced less than one plant in 2008.

[OTPTT]

Originally Posted by Alex Linder

What a crappy year it was for tomatoes. I had two plants in 2009, and they produced less than one plant in 2008.

I had 24 tomato plants, 12 each of two different varieties. Only two of my plants produced anything for a total of three tomatoes. Small ones at that.

They did taste good though. Better than those plastic tomatoes one buys in the stores. Deep red color, fine texture, and delicious tomato taste.

My peppers on the other hand flourished.

[Alex Linder]

It was bizarre weather here and I think much of the midwest. We had two (2) days in July and August that hit 90. That is unheard of low temps for summer here.

Tomatoes need sun and we got cold damp weather for too much of the summer.

[Dan Allan]

I wonder what insect-fed tomatoes taste like... Meaty? They probably have more protein than the other variety.

[Dan Allan]

[Igor Alexander]

“We are accustomed to think of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply unnerving about the thought of carnivorous plants," they added.

Vegans, take note: even tomatoes eat meat.

[Igor Alexander]

Originally Posted by Alex Linder

It was bizarre weather here and I think much of the midwest. We had two (2) days in July and August that hit 90. That is unheard of low temps for summer here.

But... but... aren't we supposed to be experiencing catastrophic global warming?

[Kievsky]

Originally Posted by OTPTT

I had 24 tomato plants, 12 each of two different varieties. Only two of my plants produced anything for a total of three tomatoes. Small ones at that.

They did taste good though. Better than those plastic tomatoes one buys in the stores. Deep red color, fine texture, and delicious tomato taste.

My peppers on the other hand flourished.

OTPTT and others,

In 2009 there was a tomato blight in New England, and I suspect that might have hit you, too. Here's what to do.

Around May or June, when the tomato plants are branching out and getting strong, cut off some branches and replant them. They'll wilt for a week or two and then come back real strong. If the spring planted tomatoes don't do well, the cloned tomato plants will give you a good fall harvest. Worked for me this year. I discovered this quite by accident.

Also, how to propagate volunteer taters when they come up. You'll see a big potato plant. It's really a clump of several plants. Dig a trench, dig up the potato plant, separate the individual plants, plant the individuals about 6 inches apart in the trench, fill in trench. Now instead of one potato plant, you'll have about a half dozen or so.