SOLANACEAE John Navazio Organic Seed Alliance Solanaceae 90

Solanaceae • • 90 Genera 2, 200 Species Five lobed calyx and usually five

Solanaceae • Capsicum annuum – most peppers • Capsicum frutescens – tabasco/squash types including

Tomato • Most spp. are perennial • Cultivated as annuals • Protogynous – female

Peppers • Columbus named them, perhaps thinking of them as a substitute for Piper

Eggplant • • • Originally from India Wild relatives are poisonous White versions were

Potato • Fourth most important staple crop • Became the staple of the poor

Solanaceae - seeds • Seeds are usually “wet extracted” • Possible to kill seed-borne

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SOLANACEAE John Navazio Organic Seed Alliance

Solanaceae • • 90 Genera 2, 200 Species Five lobed calyx and usually five stamens Several crops that rank among the most important economic plants in the world • Solanaceae abounds in plants with medicinal and poisonous properties • Peppers, potatoes, tomatoes high in Vitamin C • Peppers and tomatoes high in carotenoids

Solanaceae • Capsicum annuum – most peppers • Capsicum frutescens – tabasco/squash types including ‘Habanero’ • Lycopersicon esculentum – tomato • Physalis ixocarpa - tomatillo • Solanum tuberosum - potato • Solanum melongena - eggplant

Tomato • Most spp. are perennial • Cultivated as annuals • Protogynous – female receptive 16 to 18 hours before anthesis • Pollen is viable for 2 to 5 days • Modern tomatoes have 94 to 99% selfs • Older tomato types have “exerted stigmas” and may have a higher rate of outcrossing

Peppers • Columbus named them, perhaps thinking of them as a substitute for Piper nigrum • Capsaicin is actually four related compounds that cause the “heat” • Stress will increase Capsaicin content • Peppers are rich in many carotenoids most notably Capsanthin & Cryptoxanthin • Vitamin C first purified from peppers

Eggplant • • • Originally from India Wild relatives are poisonous White versions were first used in Europe Fruit maturity is well past the eating stage In Italian melanzana means “mad apple” In Latin melogena means “soothing mad apple”

Potato • Fourth most important staple crop • Became the staple of the poor in Europe within 200 years of its introduction • Highest yielding crop on earth • Easy to cultivate in rough ground and “renegade plots”, the “apples of life” • Phytophthera infestans caused the Irish Potato Famine of 1846 -1848 with 1. 5 million people dead/1. 5 million emigrants

Solanaceae - seeds • Seeds are usually “wet extracted” • Possible to kill seed-borne diseases through fermentation during this process • Tomatoes must ferment • No fermentation for peppers and eggplant • Tomatoes you do not need to add water • Peppers, potatoes and eggplant add water for seed extraction • Peppers must wear protective clothing!