![A man wearing aviator sunglasses holds a vine of purple tomatoes.](https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/jim-myers-2.jpg?w=1024)
It’s become clear to farmers and home gardeners alike that climate change is affecting the gardening landscape, literally. The climate is warming, pests are moving into different regions, and there’s a growing need for vegetable varieties that are resilient to the stresses of this new age.
![A bright purple tomato growing in the sun.](https://www.sciencefriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jim-Myers-1.jpg?w=300)
In the world of organic farming, the job of creating those new varieties falls to a plant breeder: someone who, often painstakingly, crosses plants until they create a new variety. Dr. Jim Myers, one of the most accomplished plant breeders in the country, has lots of experience with this.
Myers created the Indigo Rose tomato, a strikingly purple variety with the same antioxidants as blueberries. He also created the green bean cultivar predominantly used by Oregon producers, and is debuting two new varieties of low-heat habanero peppers next month, dubbed “Mild Thing” and “Notta Hotta.”
Myers joins Ira Flatow from Corvallis, Oregon, where he’s a professor of agricultural science at Oregon State University. They discuss his decades-long career in plant breeding and what he sees as the biggest challenges for the plant breeders of the future.
Further Reading
- See what the USDA’s updated gardening zones mean for plant hardiness in your location, via NPR.
- Listen to the story of “plant wizard” Luther Burbank, who developed some 800 varieties and strains of plants, via Gastropod.
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Meet the Producers and Host
About Kathleen Davis
@katjacquelineKathleen Davis is a producer at Science Friday, which means she spends the week brainstorming, researching, and writing, typically in that order. She’s a big fan of stories related to strange animal facts and dystopian technology.
About Ira Flatow
@iraflatowIra Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.