What's the name
Print this page
Email this MessageNavigation
Recent Discussions
Orchids 6 replies
Welcome to my garden 4 replies
What is this plant? 3 replies
Unsure of this plant 1 reply
Cinderella plants 1 reply
Cumulative Index 1 reply
Daylilies Anyone ? 10 replies
would like any seeds 2 replies
Morning Glory seeds 2 replies
Who Wants Foxglove Seed? 22 replies
Backyard from Scratch 2 replies
Repairing botched lacquer spot 1 reply
String algae 78 replies
groundcover between stones 33 replies
(post #10933, reply #1 of 23)
Well that's interesting.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #10933, reply #2 of 23)
I actually think I know what it is. They're not my tomatoes, but someone posted a pic on another message board thinking that they'd developed a new variety of tomato. I've tried to tell them that it's not--that it's a condition/disease; but they don't believe me. I'm hoping that someone here will recognize it for what it is and confirm my suspicions.
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #3 of 23)
That looks like a negative reaction of some kind to an environmental factor--a reaction to an insect (possibly something that bit or stung the fruit), or even a virus. That's not an answer, just a suggestion. Fabulous photo. It's actually kind of pretty. I do not think it's a "new variety", but more likely a "problem", even if it's only superficial and not actually detrimental to the plant.
I'll be interested to follow along and see what others have to say.
Troy
www.troybmarden.com
"The great wonder, in gardening, is that so many plants live!" Christopher Lloyd
Troy
www.troybmarden.com
"The great wonder, in gardening, is that so many plants live!" Christopher Lloyd
(post #10933, reply #5 of 23)
It looks kind of alien to me.
North Carolina - zone 7
North Carolina - zone 7
(post #10933, reply #4 of 23)
I think this is it:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/images/catfacing-tomato.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/Weekly_Picture8-6-01-1.html&usg=__K9lisl1MPkGY6fwWF197RKYavSE=&h=294w=600&sz=15hl=en&start=1tbnid=SXKx7w_SGrfs-M:&tbnh=66tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtomato%2Bfruit%2Bmalformation%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #10933, reply #7 of 23)
Yes, that's what I think too! But the op on the other board is sure it isn't because they don't see any holes in the fruit which is part of the description, while I see some scaring, which is also part of the descrition. Impasse. The real problem that I see is that the op has passed on plants to two others and the problem has continued to be produced. From what I've read, only certain tomatoes are susceptible, but I'd surely be pissed if my lovely slicing tomatoes suddenly all turned up alien-ated.
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #9 of 23)
Can you imagine the look of a tomato sandwich with that one? How interesting. You could probably start a fad if you sold it right.
North Carolina - zone 7
North Carolina - zone 7
(post #10933, reply #10 of 23)
I've read that farmers can't take them to market, because they're rejected for their looks. From what I understand, however, the flavor doesn't seem to be affected.
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #11 of 23)
It's all in the spin.
North Carolina - zone 7
North Carolina - zone 7
(post #10933, reply #8 of 23)
Oh, and other people are clamoring for seeds, which the op has, wisely, declined to share. I'm reminded of Tulipmania. *L*
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #12 of 23)
If Jeana's diagnosis is correct, here is some additional info:
The condition can apparently be caused by numerous factors--climatic conditions, severe thrip infestations, herbicide drift, excessive pruning in indeterminate varieties--so not really one specific cause that could be identified and treated. According to all of the information I found, it is a superficial problem and does not make the tomatoes inedible.
There is also a genetic mutation called "nipple tip", the description of which matches almost perfectly with the photo that was posted. It can have varying degrees of severity and some varieties are more inclined to show this mutation than others. It is a common trait that is actually bred for in some varieties, though it is usually not a deformation, but rather a simple pointed "nipple-like" tip on the blossom end of the tomato, as opposed to a rounded or flat blossom end. Apparently, this trait is desirable because the "nipple tip" causes the dying flower to push off of the fruit and helps to decrease the likelihood of blossom end rot in commercial cultivars, as well as the catfacing mentioned by Jeana. I would say this is a natural "nipple tip" mutation gone awry.
Anyway... there's some more info.
Troy
www.troybmarden.com
"The great wonder, in gardening, is that so many plants live!" Christopher Lloyd
Troy
www.troybmarden.com
"The great wonder, in gardening, is that so many plants live!" Christopher Lloyd
(post #10933, reply #13 of 23)
Well, now I have two definite maybes! *L* Thanks.
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #14 of 23)
Good info. I know I've read about the condition (or something like it) but had a heck of a time just finding "cat facing." My computer is giving me probs, so I didn't dig any deeper.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #10933, reply #15 of 23)
This is the response to an email I sent to Totally Tomatoes. Though she doesn't directly call it catface, from the causative factors, it's obvious that that's what it is. Jeanna, hortist, and myself were correct. Now to let the op know that they don't have some new, miraculous variety. *L*
Hi Reg,
Thank you for the email and link.
I've got to admit, these tomatoes take the cake! WOW! What an impressive photo!
For such a cool-looking problem, I wish I had a glamorous answer. Unfortunately, this one is pretty plain and simple:
This condition is most often caused by low temperatures during bloom and pollination. Warm temperatures are required for various stuctures within the flower to form. If it is too cool, cells that make up these structures do not divide properly. When the flower opens, there is the possibility that the ovaries (seed bearing cells) may be sterile or misshapen. Once pollinated, the fruit forms around this and indentions form where there is a sterile or misshapen ovary. The result is fruit that are oddly shaped and usually of poor quality (at least in terms of marketability). From the research I have examined, it seems that 55 degrees F is about the cutoff -- below this and your chance of interesting art hanging on your plants increases.
Dry conditions and very hot weather can also contribute to pollination problems. Instead of the ovaries being sterile or misshapen, it is the pollen that is damaged by hot temperatures. Once the temperature goes above about 95-100 degrees, the proteins structures within begin to change their shape. This can do one of two things: kill the pollen or make it a unit of mutations waiting to happen. If the pollen is dead, the ovary is not pollinated and does not form seeds. If the pollen is mutated, it can cause improper seed development. With either, indentations on the fruit and misshapen fruits occur.
While these fruits may not look the best, they usually taste fine and are safe to eat. You just have to watch a bit more closely for the skin to crack on them: more surface area = more cracking potential. It is always important to be careful with fruits that have cracked, as those openings are a great place for bacteria to get in.
I hope this information helps you out. If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to ask.
Have a great day!
Katrina
Katrina A. Pfaff
Horticulturist
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #16 of 23)
I see now that the OP consulted someone themselves and this was their answer:
Or..... (from the nice chap at Real Seeds)"....the flower is stuck in some sort of recursive loop genetically so it just keeps making more and more tomatoes instead of closing off the bottom of the fruit." Which sounds like hortist's "nipple tipping".
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #18 of 23)
I definitely don't think it's some sort of new mutation that is because of the plant itself. It's from conditions or other anomaly. When it comes to fruits and veggies, who cares what it looks like. I just cut out any brown or squishy or hollow places. It's all good.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #10933, reply #19 of 23)
Even if it were some miraculous new variety, the question would be what would be the value of that mutation. It would be difficult to slice for a sandwich, and think about the work involved in removing the skin for sauce or canning. No thanks!
I'm a postdoc that works on (post #10933, reply #22 of 23)
I'm a postdoc that works on tomato physiology. This is not catfacing -- it is the presence of deep indentations in the blossom end of the fruit. In some cases, the fruit itself is misshapen, becoming kidney-shaped or otherwise distorted. This damage occurs when temperatures drop below 50 degrees F during flowering and fruit set, resulting in poor pollination. In some cases, excess heat, 2,4-D injury, and erratic soil moisture can lead to catfacing. High nitrogen has also been shown to aggravate this disorder. Catfacing is cultivar specific and appears more frequently on older cultivars. Large-fruited cultivars are most susceptible.
This is also not a nipple tip mutation. Nipple tipping occurs only in eggplants -- it is selection of this mutation that causes the 'nipple plant' or 'nipple fruit' variety of eggplant that is often offered by heirloom seed companies. Nippling does not occur in tomatoes, potatoes, and other solanacous crops because they all have even numbers of chromosomes and nippling requires the misalignment of an odd number of chromosomes during the anaphase stage of mitosis during floral tissue cell division. However, there are varieties like Jolly and others that have a bit of an end on them. This is caused by late blossom abscission (blossom stays attached longer than normal after blooming has occured). It does not cause multiple 'nipples' to grow because it occurs after the carpels within the fruit that would make the multiple protrusions have already developed.
Since last summer was so cool across the U.S., your horticulturist from totally tomatoes hit it on the head. Most tomato varieties are very sensitive to chilling when setting fruit. For example, last year while doing some research on a new hybrid derived from Siberian Tomato, our plants in a 60 F days and 45 F nights setting exhibited the exact same pattern as the photo above although yours is much more impressive than the fruits I had.
Aren't tomatoes cool?
(post #10933, reply #17 of 23)
BTW, rereading your post about nipple tip, I remember having some tomatoes like that. I don't remember which variety (or varieties), since it was a long time ago and my brain is getting old. But I do remember thinking they were "different" with their pointy little tips, which, of course, my then much younger brain translated to "tits" for good reason it turns out. *L*
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
(post #10933, reply #6 of 23)
no idea what it is, but we could call it the "elephant man tomato"... extremely weird!
(post #10933, reply #20 of 23)
I'd call it a contest winner for odd shaped or weird vegetables!
(post #10933, reply #21 of 23)
Absobloomin' for surely sure! *L*
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
http://regality3.livejournal.com/
Could it be related to (post #10933, reply #23 of 23)
Could it be related to Reisetomate? Traveler tomatoe?