Groundcherry: Genetically engineered fruit could be the next strawberry

www.independent.co.uk...

Altering fruit DNA could be the next big thing in the world of berries, according to a team of scientists.

Taking the groundcherry or physalis, a tasty fruit that has never gained widespread popularity, they were able to quickly boost its size and productivity by editing its genes.

In doing so, the researchers say they have turned a niche crop into one that is far more suitable for mainstream farming.

more food choices--yay!
possible genetic modification--not so yay

any thoughts?
anyone with any experience with this fruit?

a reply to: ElGoobero

Looks like a tomatillo.

Its likely that genetic modification happened in humanities ancient past. you don't get from teosinte to corn (the longest DNA strand on the planet) without human intervention.

Of course, it wasn't in a lab....but splicing cuttings achieves similar results.

a reply to: ElGoobero

that's the Cape Gooseberry? hell that was a staple when I was a kid and we used to forage and act like pirates or cowboys.

beautiful taste... wonder how much bigger they are going to be after being genetically modified.

Gotta love this part:

The unique flavour of groundcherries combined with their drought resistance – an important feature as the world gets warmer – made these fruits the perfect candidates for improvement.

Why not edit human genes to so we're more drought resistant?

Why stop there, the possibilities seem limitless?

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: ElGoobero

Looks like a tomatillo.

They are related to Physalis ixocarpa, aka tomatillo.
This is Physalis peruviana, aka goldenberries.
They are both in the nightshade family.

Interesting. I just read the Melbourne Zoo quit feeding their animals fruit because the GM modded sugar content is so high it was making them fat.


www.sott.net...

a reply to: ElGoobero

Groundcherry? i'd love to meet the oxford scholar that came up with that. Now if you'll excuse me i'm going to go fishing and catch me some water meat.

Jokes aside if plants can be altered to be drought or pest resistant,count me in. However the rest is murky waters, if I can grow cherry tomatoes on my balcony with little sunlight then why tamper with something that doesn't need tampering?

It's a head scratcher for sure.

a reply to: ElGoobero

Boost it's productivity? Ground Cherries grow like weeds here. Birds pass the seeds in their droppings and they grow all over the place and they are super vigorous. They are really cool looking plants, the fruits are in a little pod that really looks like lanterns. The ones around my property have small berries but the plants have so many pods that they are pretty plentiful. Sometimes bigger doesn't equal better as far as taste!

The plants are a lot easier to grow than strawberries but I still like strawberries taste a lot more.

a reply to: ElGoobero

My mother taught me to eat that fruit when I was a kid. She told me she learnt about it from Amazon Rainforest tribes. It looks the same but it wasn't too sweet. It grew by itself and people ignored it. The Incas used to eat it too.

a reply to: ElGoobero
double

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: ElGoobero

Looks like a tomatillo.

Its likely that genetic modification happened in humanities ancient past. you don't get from teosinte to corn (the longest DNA strand on the planet) without human intervention.

Of course, it wasn't in a lab....but splicing cuttings achieves similar results.

And without human intervention, corn as we know it today, would not be able to survive. Completely domesticated.

But it's not really the same as altering the dna, as supposedly this fruit has had done? I don't know.. picking the best crops and growing new crops from them, letting the weaker crops die out, is really how we have corn today.

We have even done that to poor dogs, those really ugly ones that choke on their own face, are the result of breeding dogs with those traits, that over time, have manifested in something unnatural.

a reply to: ElGoobero

possible genetic modification--not so yay

Why?

a reply to: Parishna

But it's not really the same as altering the dna, as supposedly this fruit has had done?

The difference between selective breeding and lab manipulation of genes is accuracy.

Selective breeding is an inaccurate way of selecting traits that require a lot of trial and error. Modern GE techniques select genes or groups of genes in a targeted fashion. If anything it is safer and more cost effective.

Ummm what ? one thous grow wild all over 2 the ones in the photo look normal to me I pick them when ever i run accross them .
the scientist did not need to do much lol they grow well like the road side weeds they are .
ps btw seen ones twice that size again growing wild .

That’s a Colombian golden berry pretty sure in the picture.thats what we call em up here anyway.

What’s everyone’s beef these days with genetic engineering?
Do you eat broccoli,lemons,corn,cabage?

Well all man made and engineered threw selective breeding.

a reply to: ElGoobero

a reply to: ElGoobero

They grow wild in the Volcano area. I guess they like the cooler air.
My mom used to make jam out of them. Slightly tart. Nice. We call them poha.

I made the mistake of asking about the Kennedy manned moon mission back in the early sixties.
As punishment they made me eat tomatoes grown from seeds they said had been irradiated with fast neutrons.
The tomatoes were square probably from being grown in trays..
Years later they came out with the Cosmonaut Volkov variety tomato that were much tastier.

I lack the science to know if GMO are bad or not. so many people complain about it I figure something must be wrong.
(don't want this thread to turn into a GMO/Monsanto debate)

I do think Golden Rice was a good idea.

somebody mentioned that corn (maize) as we know it could not live in the wild and has never been found there.
I understand true wild potatoes are very small.
I think its good when Man can alter his environment for the benefit of others. more food, air conditioning, clothes, etc.
but not little yap yap dogs. they are not beneficial.

a reply to: Parishna

I doubt cows would fare well. Many sheep would die from skin infections in a few seasons.

We have absolutely changed the world around us.

That’s my favourite kind of dog go figure.
Every dog outside of wild canines is a unatural manifestation as you so elegantly put it.

a reply to: Parishna