Now, plant that grows both tomatoes and potatoes!

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Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Sep 26 2013 | 5:56 PM IST
Veggies delight! A bizarre new plant which produces cherry tomatoes and potatoes at the same time has been launched in the UK.
The hybrid plants 'TomTato' are not genetically modified but entirely natural, according to the Ipswich-based horticultural firm Thompson and Morgan.
The makers even claim that the tomatoes from the plant are tastier than most shop-bought tomatoes.
Similar plants have been created in the UK, but the firm said it was thought to be the first time they had been produced on a commercial scale.
Many of these plants - created by a technique known as grafting - had been created before but taste had previously been a problem, said Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Thompson and Morgan director Paul Hansord claimed the tomatoes were tastier than most shop-bought tomatoes and said the plant had taken a decade of work, 'BBC News' reported.
"It has been very difficult to achieve because the tomato stem and the potato stem have to be the same thickness for the graft to work," he said.
"It is a very highly skilled operation. We have seen similar products, however on closer inspection the potato is planted in a pot with a tomato planted in the same pot - our plant is one plant and produces no potato foliage," he added.
The firm said the plants last for one season and by the time the tomatoes are ready for picking, the potatoes can be dug up.
A similar product, dubbed the "Potato Tom", was launched in garden centres in New Zealand this week.
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First Published: Sep 26 2013 | 5:56 PM IST

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