Genomics

The incredible economic importance of the potato and tomato as agricultural crops has made them a target of intensive genomics studies. An effort to sequence the tomato genome is underway as part of the International Solanaceae Genome Project. This project will also generate genome and expression data for other solanaceous species and will allow comparison of genome architecture across a broad spectrum of the genus and family. The integration of taxonomy, phylogeny, and genomics in Solanum and the Solanaceae is expected to place them among the most holistically understood of all plant genera and families and is likely to contribute to human welfare through the improvement of solanaceous species important to mankind.