En busca del Tomate Silvestre

En busca del Tomate Silvestre / Chasing the Wild Tomato

Al igual que otras expediciones realizadas anteriormente por el grupo de Charles Rick desde 1948 hasta 1995, un grupo de biólogos de bata y de bota se embarca en la aventura del estudio de las autopolinizaciones y polinizaciones cruzadas entre especies de tomate silvestres originales de tierras peruanas. Nuestro proyecto estudia cuales son las barreras de reproducción interespecíficas en tomate, y para ello trabajamos con especies silvestres y cultivadas con distinto comportamiento en cuanto a la reproducción: autocompatibles y autoincompatibles. Perú es cuna de una gran variedad de tomates silvestres tales como S. habrochaites, S. pimpinellifolium, S. pennellii entres otras. Dependiendo del área geográfica de la población, el sistema de unión puede cambiar y por ello vamos a muestrear desde Cajamarca (Norte) pasando por Lima (Centro) y bajando hasta el Sur (Área de Pisco).

Aquí estamos, de derecha a izquierda: Paul, Steve, Esther, Phillip, Pat, Reynaldo, Bruce, Roger y Gloria (una servidora).

¡COMIENZA LA AVENTURA!

In the same way that previous field studies carried out by Charles Rick group from 1948 to 1995, a group of plant biologist repeat the experience studing the self and cross pollinations in wild tomato species from Peru. Our project is interested in reproductive barriers in tomato focus on wild and domesticated species self-compatible and self-incompatible. Perú conserved a huge amount of wild tomato species such as S. habrochaites, S. pimpinellifolium, S. pennellii. Depending of the geographic origen of the population, the matching system can be different and that is why we are going to sampling from North (Cajamarca), Center (Lima) and South (Pisco) areas in Peru

Here we are, from right to left: Paul, Steve, Esther, Phillip, Pat, Reynaldo, Bruce, Roger & Gloria (myself).

ADVENTURE IS COMING!

Sunday 26 April

 

Leave hotel2 (S13 49.666, W 76 14.697) near Paracas Natl Park ~8:30

Head north on PanAm hiway….will be going up Rio Pisco

 

At S13 33.834, W75 31.882, turn up Rio Chiris, Alt 1262m

 

Arrive at Ticrapo (S13 22.913, W75 25.963, Alt 2,249m = 7,425ft Ticra2), stop in town square, walked up small stream past some construction and making of adobe bricks…did not find any tomatoes

 

Ate lunch at square

Found peruvianum growing up a small ravine above the town

Ticra3  S13 22.923, W75 25.784 Alt 2,328m = 7,680ft

Growing in very hard rocky soil, 3 plants hanging on a relatively recent slide…NW facing slope

 

Found putative SC S. habrochaities

Ticra4 S13 22.992, W75 25.697 Alt 2,306m

Across the ravine from Ticra 3,follow the irrigation ditch upstream to another natural ravine/stream bed…plants occur on both sides of ravine…at least 3 plants located

2:05pm temp 83 F

COLLECTION 8039-1,2,3  ALSO 8040?

HAB5

COLLECTED STYLES FOR RNA…got samples off at least two plants

 

Dog was sleeping under van in Ticrapo....did not want to get out

Friday 24 April

HAB4

COLLECTION 8037

S12 35.236, W 75 57373  ALT 1926m

Very wet rich soil, lots of organic matter.  HAB4 site is north of the road on the side away from the river.  Just a few meters downstream from waterfall.  Maybe 20 km from Yauyos/

COLLECTED STYLES FOR RNA

 

BEE3

Bees collected from this site

 

Had lunch at Yauyos

S12 27.556 W75 55.199 Alt 2,915m

 

BEE4

Collected two very large bees.  Photos (poor) of largest species on habrochaities (no movie) this site is along the wall around the graveyard at the edge of town.  Most plants are on the south side of the grave yard. Soil is very rocky.  More plants are seen around the river on the downstream side of town, just as you enter or leave town. 

Thursday 23 April

PERU3

COLLECTION 8033

S12 46.855, W76 33.425

Soil is very dry.  Found a few (~6) isolated plants growing in a field next to a cotton field.  Town name is Capilla-Asia.  Collected lots of fruit.

Many dogsin this city!!!

BEE2

Found a small bee on peruvianum.  Captured these for identification.

Tuesday 21 April 2009

Hwy 18 to Canta, traveling up the Rio Chillion

3km past Yaso car stop

S11 34.718, W 76 44.102 Alt 5,375 = 1,600m Temp 80 F

 

HABPIMP1

S11 34.306, W76 43.640 Alt 5356ft= 1600m

COLLECTED STYLES FOR RNA HAB1

            SAMPLED ~15 PLANTS BUT NUMBER IS HARD TO JUDGE BECAUSE OF SPRAWLING GROWTH

COLLECTION 8030…PIMP

Soil is very rich and moist…lots of organic

BEE1 movie  at a site just below the road….there is a small irrigation ditch just north of the road.  Habrochaites and pimpi grow on the slope, around the orchard (banana and ??quince??) and in the weeds next to the field.  The movie was made on habrochaities growing next to the orchard (S11 34.332, W 76 43.631), which is ~20m from the road and ~10m from the irrigation ditch. 

 

PIMP1 site is about 6m NW of the bee1 site (S 11 34.330, W76 43.631) ripe fruit collected here

 

PIMP2 a few meters toward the field (north) (S11 34.328, W76 43.633)

 

Also found N. glauca or N glutinosa at this site

 

Arrived at Canta 1:23pm Alt 9,474ft=2,870m

S11 28.025, W76 37.473

Ate lunch bought yarn and hats for Mel and Tom

 

HAB2

COLLECTION 8032

S11 30.133, W76 39.386

Alt 8029m = 2,400m

Good rich soil, moist

Collection from about 3m from the road on the NE side

HAB3

S11 30.467, W76 40.297 Alt 7085ft = 2150m

Soil is rocky but still plenty of organic matter

Hillside over looking farm (north of the road)

COLLECTED STYLES FOR RNA  ~6 PLANTS

 

Sunday 19 April 2009

Taking Hwy 20 up the Rio Rimac

 

PERU2           

Stop ~1km past Surco, next to Rio Rimac

S 11 52.462, W 76 25.647

Rocky soil ~10m from river some organic material in soil 7-10 plants

??are these ‘peruvianum’ or coreneomeulleri?

 

Car stop at S 11 52.641, W76 25.686

 

Cascading Peruvianum S11 52.641, W 76 25.747

 

Bridge stop

S 11 51.616, W76 24.947

Numerous peruvianum

 

Matucana – lunch

S11 50.703, W 76 23.199 Alt 7373ft=2,200m

 

Unknown species

Waypoint 015 S11 48.216, W76 20.391

Saturday Apr 18 2009

Site 1 East of Sisicaya S. pennellii

S 12 01.118, W 76 38.229

89 F, Steep Rocky slope, scree-like granite rocks, mostly fist-size and larger

no organic matter in soil, plants appear to grow right in the rocks with little or no soil

what soil there is in sandy

goats present, most plants are chewed

plants grow singly or in clumps of up to 5-10

 collected pistils into, RNA later, collected from 11 plants, 2-8 pistils/plant

First S. pimpinellifolium

S 12 02.810, W 76 34.426

Growing on roadside…about 0.5m from traffic, in rocky-sandy soil

This plant is above the core-penn-pimp site and ~100m west of the trail down to this site

 

S. corneomulleri -S. pennellii-S. pimpinellifolium

Trail down from the road to the main site is at S 12 02.815, W76 34.304

There was on S.corne right on the road (~1m from traffic) at the trail head (S 12 02.815, W76 34.304) ONLY one S.penn plant was found.

Site where S. corne-S.penn growing intertwined S 12 02.817, W 76 34.323 right next to the trail on the side toward the road, S. pimp grows 10-15 feet to the right on the other side of the trail (toward the river)

Collected pistils into RNA-later: S.corn…from 5 plants, S.penn 1 plant, few pistils

 

S. corneomulleri 2

Along the road, Antioquia espiritos santos

Near the Rio Lurin, bridge ~10m east of road

Very weedy site

S 12 05.386, W 76 29.966, Alt 5253 ft

Plant is growing in sandy soil near large rock

Temp 89 F

 

Pisco, Peru

Well, its been at least a week and alot has happened. Internet has been somewhat limited as has free time. Here are some of my favorite photos so far.

Roger with some huge Solanum habrochaites fruit.
Solanum pennelii
Steve and Philip collecting a huge bee.

t-minus, packing and email flurries

With some last minute emails and packing of supplies (see pix) we're all set to go. We'll be leaving a little before noon tomorrow and meeting up with everyone else around midnight outside customs at el Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chavez. See you all in Peru.
As many will attest, Pat is always emailing.Here are two tool boxes that will hopefully get all our supplies safe and sound to Lima. While we were buying these a guy told Pat that they were what he used for his tools he took to Antarctica. If they work there they should work anywhere.The guts

One week to go

Our trip date is less than a week away, April 16th and things are picking up around our lab with organizing supplies and tying up loose ends. But, before I go on let me first introduce you to the rest of the team. Besides myself the IRB Tomato group includes, Dr. Patricia Bedinger from Colorado State University who is the lead PI on the project, Dr. Bruce McClure from the University of Missouri, Dr. Roger Chetelat from the University of California at Davis (also curator of the Tomato Genetics Resource Center), Drs. Jocelyn Rose and Gloria Lopez Casado from Cornell, Dr. Esther Van der Knaap and Reynaldo Nunez, from The Ohio State University Agriculture Research and Development Center (OARDC), Steve Stack also from Colorado State University, and Phillip Kear from the Center International de la Papa who is currently working at the University Missouri. Joss will be the only one not able to make this trip. Besides Roger, Phillip, and Reynaldo who is Peruvian, this will be our first field expedition to Peru.

The first bit of business after the late arrival into Lima is to meet with our Peruvian counterparts from the Center International de la Papa (CIP), Merideth Bonierbale and David Tay. Merideth is in charge of the Germplasm Enhancement and Crop Improvement Division at CIP which is primarily involved with developing improved tuber germplasm and fostering their use with small scale growers. A student from Merideth's group, Phillip Kear, has been working at The University of Missouri with Bruce McClure since the fall of last year. David Tay is the lead on another division at CIP, The Genetic Resource Characterization and Conservation. He and Merideth have been very helpful on-the-ground contact for Pat and Roger, especially with getting us contacts for housing, transportation and permitting.

This trip will be the fifth meeting of the minds for the IRB Tomato group, as it were, and a fairly stated pen ultimate one at that. We hope to accomplish a hefty amount of field work on some key population of wild tomatoes, as well as extend our research to a broader scientific group with a Symposium on Reproductive Barriers in the Solanaceae. Our stay in Lima happens to also coincide with a cytogenetics meeting. Fortuitous for Steve, who will be in attendance, since this is not only his expertise but passion.

For those interested this weblog will be advertised on some external links besides IRB Tomato. The Sol Genomics Network, Solanaceae Source, and the Tomato Genetics Resource Center have all been kind enough to acknowledge our efforts and we encourage those of you to learn more about them and the amazing resources they provide for work like ours to be possible. We thank them.