New discoveries regarding tomato hormones can increase total yield

In an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil describe for the first time how strigolactones, plant hormones discovered several decades ago, control flowering and fruiting in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The findings of their study point to a new opportunity for management of fruiting time and could have a significant impact on total yields for this crop.