Purple galaxy tomato

DK2021 · 3 Weeks Ago

The GM purple tomato from Norfolk Healthy Produce is just called Purple. It is an inbred ("open pollinated") variety. You can buy them in shops in a few states (not mine) under the brand name "Empress Limited Edition Tomato". I bought seed directly from Norfolk on first release; $10 for 10 seeds. Under terms of the sale, you are allowed to save seed, and even use the seed in a breeding programme, but you may not sell the seed or fruit or offspring.

They are quite pretty, deep purple cherries, about an inch diameter, with generous yields early to mid season. Flavour is just OK. I saved seed (in fact just put away the dry processed seed today) as I don't want to spend the money again, but I'm not sure I'll grow these often. They are pretty in a mixed tomato plate though.

The story behind "Purple Galaxy" was covered by NPR here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...ek-controversy

Regarding GM plants, there is no scientific reason for them to be de facto "bad". All eukaryotes (which include animals and plants) have genes from various ancestral sources, including bacteria and viruses. Your own human genome is about 8% viral in origin. Your mitochondria were once endosymbiotic bacteria. Horizontal gene transfer (between two unrelated organisms) turns out to be quite common, if not universal. It's just how biology works.

3 Weeks Ago	#4
DK2021 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2021 Location: Coastal CT, zone 7a Posts: 180	The GM purple tomato from Norfolk Healthy Produce is just called Purple. It is an inbred ("open pollinated") variety. You can buy them in shops in a few states (not mine) under the brand name "Empress Limited Edition Tomato". I bought seed directly from Norfolk on first release; $10 for 10 seeds. Under terms of the sale, you are allowed to save seed, and even use the seed in a breeding programme, but you may not sell the seed or fruit or offspring. They are quite pretty, deep purple cherries, about an inch diameter, with generous yields early to mid season. Flavour is just OK. I saved seed (in fact just put away the dry processed seed today) as I don't want to spend the money again, but I'm not sure I'll grow these often. They are pretty in a mixed tomato plate though. The story behind "Purple Galaxy" was covered by NPR here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...ek-controversy Regarding GM plants, there is no scientific reason for them to be de facto "bad". All eukaryotes (which include animals and plants) have genes from various ancestral sources, including bacteria and viruses. Your own human genome is about 8% viral in origin. Your mitochondria were once endosymbiotic bacteria. Horizontal gene transfer (between two unrelated organisms) turns out to be quite common, if not universal. It's just how biology works.