The TomTato plant

[istanbulin]

As I recall, there were members talking about the " Tomacco " or other tobacco grafted plants. Now, here is the " TomTato ", the plant where tomato and potato meets. Although this grafting issue is not a new thing, this one seems more succesful commercially. The company is selling a single plant for 15 pounds. May be somebody can try to graft tobacco on potato to obtain the " TobTato " or " Potacco" . So we may smoke the "mild" leaves and eat the potatoes, (may be not).

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...toes-and-tomatoes-launched-in-uk-8839501.html

 

[Jitterbugdude]

A few years ago I tried to graft a tobacco plant onto a tomato plant. My experiment failed. My problem was that I waited too long before grafting. The plants were too big and too difficult for one person to graft. If I were to do it again I'd graft at about the time I was setting out my plants in the garden.

 

[istanbulin]

I think trying to graft tobacco on potato is more logic than on tomato, it really worths to give a try. And also, it's better to graft them before transplanting because they need some time to recover.

 

[DGBAMA]

Would this not yield a nearly nicotine free bacco since the Alkaloids are produced in the roots?

 

[istanbulin]

Yes, nicotine is mostly produced in the root system and stored in the leaves. Also leaves and stalk produce some. In a tobacco plant, leaves have the highest content of nicotine, roots have less and stalk have the least. So, nicotine is produced in roots and sent to leaves by stalk for storing and nicotine is accumulated in the leaves (up to a certain point). In grafting, not only nicotine but also other alkoloids will be lower. Potato produce nicotine too (as some other Solanaceae), of course lower than tobacco but it has the highest amount of nicotine content among our foods especially when it's unripe.

There's some researches about tobacco grafting. For example the table below shows the results of the nicotine content in different type of tobaccos when they're grafted (on tomato), topped, both grafted and topped in different growing stages.



Potato produces more nicotine than tomato but still lower than tobacco does so this is why I wrote "we may smoke the "mild" leaves and eat the potatoes " above. BTW, in some cases potato don't produce good nodes when another plant grafted on it.
There may be more researches on this grafting matter.

Addendum: Standart deviations on the table seems to be high.

 

[springheal]

Grow in a pot and have suitable potatoes= No, unless the pot is huge and you like spuds the size of a pea or golf ball.

Tomatoes in a pot=yes.

Together= Oh come on!!

I believe the original picture is fake and the potatoes have been placed there. We all know that potatoes must not be near the soil surface or they will go green and be inedible. There is no sign of green on them. How could they be harvested and still leave the tomato unaffected ?

First harvest would have to be the tomato and when they have finished, harvest the spuds. Harvest at the same time and the tomato would suffer badly.

While I am not disputing the article and the logic behind it, I am disputing the misleading article.

 

[leverhead]

The numbers for total weight of nicotine in the leaves is interesting. In the fruiting stage and topped, the Turkish variety must have been pretty potent. For me, I think I'll grow tobacco with the roots that come as original equipment.

 

[Boboro]

If you could put some hemp roots on a backer plant it would make a really cool shirt....Dude.

 

[Southern Planter]

Homer Simpson crossed tomatoes and tobacco using plutonium from the plant he worked at as a safety officer.