he Search for a Less Thirsty Tomato To find out how tomato plants resist drought, Danforth Center researchers cut their water ration 18 days after planting, then monitor them using three kinds of imaging. Near-infrared images show the plant’s water content. Fluorescence images show where photosynthesis is occurring. Tomatoes are typically grown in hot, dry climates with a lot of irrigation water—more than 13 gallons per tomato on average. To create less thirsty varieties, Dan Chitwood’s team at the Danforth Center are crossing tomato plants with a wild relative from Peru’s southern coastal desert, one of the driest places on Earth.