Where can I find seedless tomatoes?

ASK THE HORT AGENT

Question Where can I find seedless tomatoes?

Answer Right now they are hanging out with unicorns and dragons. However, like Bigfoot, there may have been sightings. It may not be long before we will all get to see a seedless tomato.

In general, a fruit is formed when a flower is fertilized. Yes, I said “fruit.” As we all know, tomato is a fruit. Seeds are produced in conjunction with a fruit. These plants have developed a system of using animals to either transport or prepare seeds. Animals eating the fruit of a plant carry the seeds in their stomach and excrete them at another location. The acids in the animal’s stomach may also be used to scratch the hard coating of a seed and therefore prepare it for germination.

Some plants have actually developed a system of producing fruit even when their flowers have not been fertilized. This process is called parthenocarpy. Scientists think this is a plant’s way of keeping its customers happy. Migrating animals will orient their travel patterns according to food accessibility. Plants that produce fruit even when their flowers did not get fertilized will continue to serve as a food source for migrating animals and not risk being ignored next year.

A few plants also developed a process called stenospermocarpy. Basically, this process is the abortion of seeds after the flower has been fertilized. This allows a plant to reduce the number of viable seeds it produces without alienating the animals which feed on its fruit. Resource depletion may have been the reason for developing this process.

The end result of parthenocarpy and stenospermocarpy is natural production of a seedless fruit. Examples of parthenocarpic (seedless) fruit include naval oranges, figs and pineapples. A good example of a stenospermocarpic (seedless) fruit would be a seedless grape.

Plant breeders have also created some hybrid plants which are seedless. These plants are sometimes referred to as “mule” hybrids since the hybrid plant does not produce viable offspring. A good example of this scenario includes seedless watermelons. Seedless bananas are also mule hybrids, but they can reproduce by root sprouts.

There are varieties of tomatoes with fewer seeds. These include ‘Siletz,’ ‘Legend,’ ‘Oregon Spring’ and ‘German Pink’. There is very little research to show how they will grow on the east coast.

For seedless fruit info, check out http://www.answers.com/topic/seedless-fruits-and-vegetables If you don’t have internet access, call the Extension Office at 893-7533, write us at PO Box 1089, Lillington, NC 27546, or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

Unlike other animals, humans want the plants to work for us instead of us working for them. We’ll eat the fruit, but we don’t like to transport the seeds. We want to be able to have our fruitcake and eat it too. What good is having a cake if you can’t eat it?

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent

Harnett County