We ’re bored to tears with average green limes . as luck would have it , we do n’t have to endure much longer . New , transgenic linden tree are on the visible horizon , taking their hue from blood orange and red seedless grape vine .
The Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Sciencehas published the first picturesof transgenic Mexican limes ( above ) . Developed by researchers at the University of Florida , these lime have an teemingness of anthocyanins , responsible for a tidy sum of pigmentation in foliage . They contribute tofall leaf color , red cabbages , and black berries . Some scientists consider that they may be a plant ’s answer to environmental stressor like drouth or cold temperature — and the citrus fruit known as “ blood oranges ” only develop anthocyanins after being exposed to cold during their outgrowth .
It ’s the factor of the Moro , or blood , orange that are responsible for the pinkish coloration in the center lime pictured above . The darker lime on the left wing has genes from the the red seedless grape vine . The plant themselves also show some pigmentation in both the untested leaves — which have a reddish casting which fades over sentence — and the flowers .
Right now , their lulu is all they have to offer ; these are cosmetic plants . Although the genes hail from other food plant , andanthocyanins are associated with wellness benefit , the researcher want to test these transgenic limes before they ’re offered as food . If successful , researchers might try the same trick with oranges and other fruit grow in tropical and subtropic climates — to give us more variety at the store , and more anthocyanins in our diet .
[ Journal of the American Society fth or Horticultural Science ]
GeneticsScience
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