Bypassing negative impacts of a domestication gene to improve tomato yield. Solanum lycopersicum isolate:LA4371; LA1589; LA3475 | cultivar:M82; MicroTom

Selection for inflorescence complexity is common during crop domestication. However, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has undergone relatively minor changes from its wild progenitor, S. pimpinellifolium. In this study, we identify two genes with independent benefits for inflorescence traits that when combined have a novel branched inflorescence phenotype with negative consequences for crop productivity. We exploited a dosage-dependent mechanism to bypass this negative epistasis for improved productivity in elite tomato germplasm. We propose that resolving similar cases of negative genetic interactions in tomato and other crops could be applied to future crop improvement efforts.