VOA健康报道2023 畸形番茄能吃吗?

畸形番茄能吃吗?

This is the time of year when many gardeners are harvesting tomatoes.

这是一年中许多园丁收获番茄的时候。

Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported about the many pictures of strangely shaped tomatoes sent to her from fans of her gardening advice.

美联社园艺专家杰西卡·达米亚诺最近报道说，听取她的园艺建议的粉丝给她发了很多形状奇怪的番茄的照片。

She said people sometimes question if the tomatoes are okay to eat.

她说，人们有时会质疑这样的番茄是否可以食用。

The good news, Damiano said, is that there is nothing wrong with the deformed¹ fruits.

达米亚诺说，好消息是，这些变形的水果没有什么问题。

Unless otherwise diseased, they are perfectly² good for eating.

除非有其他疾病，否则它们完全可以食用。

Their unusual appearance does not affect their taste or nutritional³ value.

它们不同寻常的外观并不会影响它们的味道或营养价值。

If you have ever cut open a tomato, you know they are divided into internal parts, called locules, which contain seeds and a substance called gel.

如果你曾经切开过番茄，你就会知道它们被分成内部部分，称为子房室，里面含有种子和一种叫做胶体的物质。

Most tomatoes have about four or five locules; other kinds of the fruit, like cherry tomatoes, contain two or three.

大多数西红柿大约有四到五个子房室；其他种类的水果，如樱桃番茄，有两到三个子房室。

Plum or Roma tomatoes have two locules.

李子形番茄（即罗马番茄）有两个子房室。

But when a plant experiences temperature extremes, cell division in the developing fruit can go off track.

但当植物经历极端温度时，正在发育的果实中的细胞分裂可能会偏离轨道。

Temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius⁴ during the day and 27 overnight can lead the tomato to form an extra locule.

白天气温超过32摄氏度，夜间气温超过27摄氏度，会导致番茄形成额外的子房室。

But there is not enough room inside a tomato for the extra part, so it grows on the outside of the fruit.

但是番茄内部没有足够的空间容纳多余的部分，所以它长在番茄的外面。

Not every tomato on an affected⁵ plant will be deformed, however.

然而，并非受影响植株上的每一个番茄都会变形。

"Under the right conditions (temperatures that are too hot or even too cold), this could affect one or two tomatoes per plant, depending on where they are in the development process and what the (weather) conditions are," said Timothy McDermott.

蒂莫西·麦克德莫特说：“在合适的环境下（气温过高或过低)，这可能会影响到每个植株上的一两个番茄，这取决于它们在生长过程中的位置和（天气）条件。”

He is an assistant professor and extension educator at Ohio State University.

他是俄亥俄州立大学的助理教授和进修部老师。

The likelihood of one of your tomatoes developing a locule oddity is estimated to be about one in a thousand, McDermott said.

麦克德莫特说，据估计，番茄子房室畸形的可能性约为千分之一。

Any tomato can grow an extra locule.

任何番茄都可能会长出额外的子房室。

But, Damiano noted⁶, heirloom kinds seem more likely to have this genetic⁷ mutation⁸ than hybrids⁹.

但是，达米亚诺指出，传家宝番茄似乎比杂交品种更有可能发生这种基因突变。

The extra-locule mutation is not the only abnormality caused by extreme heat.

子房室外突变并不是极端高温造成的唯一异常。

Conditions including sunscald, blossom drop, halted fruit formation and ripening¹⁰ can also arise when plants are grown outside their usual temperature limit.

当植物在超出正常温度限制的情况下生长时，也会出现晒伤、落花、果实停滞不长等情况。

Provide shade for your plants when temperatures are predicted to remain above 32 degrees Celsius for several days.

当预计气温将会持续几天保持在32摄氏度以上时，为你的植物提供荫凉。

Attach a piece of 40 to 50 percent shade cloth to stakes inserted into the ground around the plant.

将一块遮阳率为40%到50%的遮阳布绑在植物周围地面上的木桩上。

Leave it in place from 12 to 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest.

在中午12点到下午4点（也就是太阳光最强烈的时候）遮在植物上面。

Then remove it to avoid problems caused by a lack of sunlight.

然后把它取下来，以避免因缺乏阳光而引起的问题。

And, when harvesting your crop, remember: the funny-looking tomatoes taste just as good!

还有，当你收获的时候，记住：样子很可笑的番茄味道也一样好！

1 deformed   

adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的

参考例句：

• He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
• His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

8 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

9 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

10 ripening   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成

参考例句：

• The corn is blossoming [ripening]. 玉米正在开花[成熟]。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• When the summer crop is ripening, the autumn crop has to be sowed. 夏季作物成熟时，就得播种秋季作物。 来自《简明英汉词典》