To secure our food future, scientists are hunting the wild cousins of our crops.
In short: Our most essential food crops are struggling to adapt to the pressures of a changing climate. To keep them on our menus, a global community of researchers is racing to locate, collect, and protect the wild relatives of staples like potatoes and tomatoes, safeguarding their genetic diversity for future generations.
The nightshade family, or Solanaceae, serves as a critical pillar of human nutrition, encompassing potatoes, tomatoes, and aubergines. As climate change threatens the stability of modern agriculture, experts are turning to the wild ancestors of these plants to find the traits necessary for resilience. Dr. Sandy Knapp, a specialist in Solanaceae taxonomy at the Natural History Museum, has spent four decades researching these plants across Central and South America, describing over 75 new species along the way.
The effort is a collaborative, global endeavor involving institutions like the National University of Cuyo in Argentina. Dr. Iris Peralta, a botanist and researcher at the university, serves as a world-leading expert on wild tomato genetics. Her work, which includes post-doctoral studies at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Natural History Museum, is vital for understanding how these wild plants can help us adapt our food systems. These wild relatives often possess unique biological characteristics that have been lost or diluted in domesticated varieties.
This work is part of a broader scientific response to the planetary emergency. While scientists are traditionally data-driven and focused on empirical evidence, many now feel a deep, personal urgency to advocate for the planet. As the Natural History Museum continues to house over 80 million objects, its scientists are increasingly bridging the gap between research and action, ensuring that the knowledge gained from studying the natural world is used to address the interconnected crises facing our Earth today.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Wild Potatoes and Tomatoes: Saving the Future of our Food | Our Broken Planet
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