Potato Resulted from Hybridization with Tomato 9 Million Years Ago: Study

Scientists have finally uncovered the ancient secret behind the potato’s origin — and it involves an unexpected genetic romance.

Researchers found that every potato species contained a stable, balanced mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants,

About 9 million years ago, a wild interbreeding event occurred between a tomato-like plant and a potato relative in the Andes. This rare hybridization gave rise to the first tuber-forming plants, Sci-Tech Daily reported.

An international team of scientists made the discovery and published their findings in the journal Cell.

The study said this ancient genetic mixing triggered the development of the tuber — underground plant structures that store nutrients and are found in crops such as potatoes, yams, and taros.

“Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,” said corresponding author Sanwen Huang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

“We’ve finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.”

Although potatoes are one of the world’s most essential food crops, their evolutionary origin had remained unclear. Modern potato plants closely resemble three Chilean species known as Etuberosum, yet those species do not produce tubers.

Genetic studies also show that potatoes are closely related to tomatoes. To resolve this puzzle, researchers examined genetic data from 450 cultivated potato varieties and 56 wild species.

They found that every potato species contained a stable, balanced mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants, suggesting that potatoes originated from an ancient hybridization between the two.

The plants shared a common ancestor 15 million years ago but diverged 5 million years later.

The team found that the SP6A gene — which acts as a master switch telling the plant when to start making tubers — came from the tomato side of the family.

Another key gene, IT1, which helps control the growth of underground stems that form tubers, came from the Etuberosum side. Without both pieces, the hybrid offspring would have been unable to produce tubers.