VOA健康报道2023--Strange-looking Tomato Can Still Be Tasty

Strange-looking Tomato Can Still Be Tasty

This is the time of year when many gardeners are harvesting tomatoes. 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. She said people sometimes question if the tomatoes are okay to eat.

The good news, Damiano said, is that there is nothing wrong with the deformed¹ fruits. Unless otherwise diseased, they are perfectly² good for eating. Their unusual appearance does not affect their taste or nutritional³ value.

What's going on here?

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

But when a plant experiences temperature extremes, cell division in the developing fruit can go off track. Temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius⁴ during the day and 27 overnight can lead the tomato to form an extra locule. But there is not enough room inside a tomato for the extra part, so it grows on the outside of the fruit.

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

What are the chances?

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

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

Any tomato can grow an extra locule. But, Damiano noted⁶, heirloom kinds seem more likely to have this genetic⁷ mutation⁸ than hybrids¹⁰.

Hot tomato?

The extra-locule mutation is not the only abnormality caused by extreme heat. Conditions including sunscald, blossom drop, halted fruit formation and ripening¹¹ can also arise when plants are grown outside their usual temperature limit.

Provide shade for your plants when temperatures are predicted to remain above 32 degrees Celsius for several days. Attach a piece of 40 to 50 percent shade cloth to stakes inserted into the ground around the plant. Leave it in place from 12 to 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest. Then remove it to avoid problems caused by a lack of sunlight.

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

Words in This Story

nutritional – adj. containing nutrients¹² that support health and growth

internal – adj. inside of something

oddity – n. something strange or unusual

heirloom – adj. a kind of cultivated plant that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals

mutation – n. a change especially a genetic change in a plant or animal that affects its appearance, function or structure in some way

hybrid⁹ – adj. a living thing, especially a plant, that is created by combining two different kinds of plants

ripening – n. the process in fruit of becoming ready to eat or use

blossom –n. the flower formed by a plant to produce a fruit

 

shade – n. an area blocked from sunlight

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 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

10 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

11 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》

12 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》