Dr. Ara B. Dopsis has an idea he thinks will be a boon to agriculture. He wants to create the 'pomato,' a hybrid between a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) that has 12 chromosomes and a potato (Solanum tuberosum) that has 48 chromosomes. Dr. Dopsis is hoping his new pomato will have tuber growth like a potato and the fruit production of a tomato. He joins a haploid gamete from each species to form a hybrid and then induces doubling of chromosome number.

Can Dr. Dopsis be sure the polyploid will have the characteristics he wants? Why or why not?

Key Concepts

Hybridization

Hybridization is the process of crossing two different species or varieties to produce a hybrid organism. In this case, Dr. Dopsis is attempting to hybridize a tomato and a potato, which belong to different genera. While hybridization can lead to new traits, the success of such crosses depends on genetic compatibility and the ability of the hybrid to express desired characteristics.

Polyploidy

Polyploidy refers to the condition of having more than two complete sets of chromosomes. In agriculture, inducing polyploidy can enhance traits such as size and yield. However, the resulting polyploid organism may not always exhibit the desired traits due to genetic complexities and the potential for gene expression changes, making it uncertain whether the pomato will have the expected characteristics.

Gene Expression and Phenotype

Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional gene products, typically proteins, which ultimately determine an organism's phenotype, or observable traits. Even if Dr. Dopsis successfully creates a polyploid pomato, the expression of traits from both parent species may not be straightforward, leading to unpredictable outcomes in the hybrid's characteristics.