This book describes the strategy used for sequencing, assembling and annotating the tomato genome and presents the main characteristics of this sequence with a special focus on repeated sequences and the ancestral polyploidy events. It also includes the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a major crop plant as well as a model for fruit development, and the availability of the genome sequence has completely changed the paradigm of the species’ genetics and genomics. The book describes the numerous genetic and genomic resources available, the identified genes and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identified, as well as the strong synteny across Solanaceae species. Lastly, it discusses the consequences of the availability of a high-quality genome sequence of the cultivated species for the research community. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the genetics and genomics of tomato and Solanaceae.

This volume covers the advances in the study of tomato diversity and taxonomy. It examines the mapping of simple and complex traits, classical genetics and breeding, association studies, molecular breeding, positional cloning, and structural and comparative genomics. The contributors also discuss transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics. The information in this book will be useful to researchers working on other Solanaceaous crops as well as those interested in using the tomato as a model crop species.

The present volume includes the large majority of papers given at the symposium entitled "Fundamental Approaches to Plant and Animal Improvement," held at Cali, Colombia, in November, 1972. The primary focal points were on various genetic mechanisms, including gene action and mutation, the development of phenotypic attributes, and on evolution, including that controlled by man for agricultural purposes. In fact, very little referring in any particular way to animal improvement was included, while a great deal of attention was paid to higher plants and to microorganisms. On the other hand, both the population genetics of insects and insect control were considered. Thus Genes, Enzymes, and Populations, the title given to this published work, seems to me to represent somewhat more fairly the contents than does the original symposium title. Given the intent of the symposium, which is expressed in the original title, the published record cannot be expected to be a neatly packaged presentation of some highly defined subject matter. Indeed the diverse subjects represent some, but by no means all, of the varied and dynamic scientific activities that need to be components in the improvement and production of agriculturally Significant plants at a time when world populations are rapidly increasing and shortages of food occurring. In any case, the organizers of the symposium wisely decided that considerations of environment as well as of genetics should be introduced into the thinking of the group and that physiology and molecular biology could not be ignored.

This book gathers the latest information on the organization of genomes in wild Solanum species and emphasizes how this information is yielding direct outcomes in the fields of molecular breeding, as well as a better understanding of both the patterns and processes of evolution. Cultivated Solanums, such as potato, tomato, and pepper, possess a high number of wild relatives that are of great importance for practical breeding and evolutionary studies. Their germplasm is often characterized by allelic diversity, as well as genes that are lacking in the cultivated species. Wild Solanums have not been fully exploited by breeders. This is mainly due to the lack of information regarding their genetics and genomics. However, the genome of important cultivated Solanaceae such as potato, tomato, eggplant, and pepper has already been sequenced. On the heels of these recent developments, wild Solanum genomes are now becoming available, opening an exciting new era for both basic research and varietal development in the Solanaceae.

The use of homologous recombination to precisely modify plant genomes has been challenging, due to the lack of efficient methods for delivering DNA repair templates to plant cells. Even with the advent of sequence-specific nucleases, which stimulate homologous recombination at predefined genomic sites by creating targeted DNA double-strand breaks, there are only a handful of studies that report precise editing of endogenous genes in crop plants. More efficient methods are needed to modify plant genomes through homologous recombination, ideally without randomly integrating foreign DNA. High-frequency, precise modification of the tomato genome was achieved using geminivirus replicons, suggesting that these vectors can overcome the efficiency barrier that has made gene targeting in plants challenging. This work provides a foundation for efficient genome editing of crop genomes without the random integration of foreign DNA.

The ideal fresh market tomato; Sunseeds: the challenge of breeding processing tomatoes; Specialised requirements for producing transgenic glasshouse tomatoes; Development and application of a molecular linkage map in tomato; Integration of the classical and molecular linkage maps of tomato chromosome; Recombinant inbred populations for high resolution mapping in tomato; Mapping quantitative genes involved in a trait assessed on an ordinal scale: a case study with bacterial cankel in Lycopersicon peruvianum; Studies towards a genetic and molecular analysis of paramutation at the Sulfurea locus of Lycopersion esculentum Mill; Evaluation the prospects of transposon tagging in tomato by the use of endogenous genetic markers; Transposon induced chromosomal rearracrearrangements; The role of HMGCoA reductase in tomato fruit development; Plant hormone and photomorphogenic mutants of tomato; Auxin perception and the regulation of tomato growth and development; Self-incompatibility in the solanaceae; Molecular analysis of gene regulation and function during pollen development; Tissue-specific gene expression in tomato pistils; Molecular mapping of flower development in tomato; Genetic control of ethylene and carotenoid production in transgenic tomatoes; Inhibition of ripening in transgenic tomato plants expressing ACC deaminase; Regulation and function of the E8 fruit ripening gene from tomato; Inhibition of fruit senescence; Molecular biology of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and potential ways to control disease.