It turns out we have tomatoes to thank for potatoes. A newly published study in Cell has revealed that the humble potato owes its existence to a surprising plant romance that occurred eight to nine million years ago. According to researchers, a cross-breeding event between an ancestor of the tomato and another ancient plant species gave rise to the very first potato.
Though the potato and tomato seem worlds apart in taste and use, genetically speaking, they’re part of the same plant family — the Solanum genus — which also includes eggplants and peppers. It’s one of the most diverse flowering plant groups, containing over 1,000 species. The latest research has shown that by tracing full genome sequences, scientists were able to reconstruct a botanical family tree linking six potato species to 21 other species within the Solanum group. These comparisons also drew from a wider dataset of 128 genomes to map out the potato’s true lineage.
Sandra Knapp, a taxonomist at the Natural History Museum in London, worked alongside genome biologist Sanwen Huang of the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, China, to dig into the potato’s ancient roots. While Knapp’s interest lies in mapping the relationships within the Solanum genus, Huang’s mission is more practical: improving the future of potato farming. Current potatoes are grown clonally from tubers not seeds which makes them genetically vulnerable to disease and harmful mutations. “We would like to purge them,” says Huang, referring to the many accumulated mutations in today’s potatoes.
Clonal propagation, while useful for farmers, has its downsides. Since each new potato plant is genetically identical to the one before, harmful mutations and susceptibility to diseases build up over time. This same vulnerability led to catastrophic crop failures during the Irish Potato Famine. Huang aims to develop hybrid potatoes that can grow from seed, which would make it easier to eliminate damaging mutations and improve resistance.
Through the study, the researchers also discovered that potatoes share genetic similarities not only with tomatoes but with another lesser-known group of plants called Etuberosum (a small lineage with just three known species). This connection provides important clues to how tuber-forming plants like potatoes evolved over time.
The story of the potato’s origins is not just a tale of ancient botany; it’s also a path toward securing the future of one of the world’s most essential crops. As the third most important staple food globally, after rice and wheat, the potato is more than just comfort food, it’s a pillar of food security. And thanks to new genetic insights, scientists are better equipped to protect and improve it.
So next time you’re enjoying fries or mashed potatoes, you might want to thank the tomato because without it, your plate might look very different.