Garden to table: Turning a backyard plant into a mainstream crop

It looks like a cherry tomato wrapped in a paper lantern, but in fact it's called a groundcherry.  Little-known beyond gardeners and farmers, the groundcherry has quietly produced fruit across North America for centuries.  

Now it's emerging from relative obscurity and someday may claim a spot on grocery store shelves, thanks to U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research on the plant's genetics. The findings are published in the journal Plants People Planet. 

"Groundcherry is a plant species grown for its flavorful fruit," write Zachary Lippman of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and colleagues. "The fruit drops from the plant, hence the common name groundcherry. This makes harvest cumbersome and puts the fruit at risk for carrying soil-borne pathogens, therefore making them unsellable."  The scientists state that insects also often damage groundcherries, spoiling them before they can get to market.  

Advances in gene editing, however, offer promise for addressing these issues, the researchers say, "expanding access to this nutritious fruit, rich in potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants."  

"By providing funding for exploratory research and technology development, NSF enables the translation of project outcomes from lab to market," adds Diane Jofuku Okamuro, a program director in NSF's Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.