Including tomatoes in the diet can help protect against cancer, maintain healthy blood pressure,

and reduce blood glucose in people with diabetes. Tomatoes contain key carotenoids such as
lutein and lycopene. These can protect the eye against light-induced damage. Eat more tomatoes
by adding them to wraps or sandwiches, sauces, or salsas. Alternatively, eat them cooked or
stewed, as these preparation methods can boost the availability of key nutrients. Tomatoes are in
the top ten fruits and vegetables for containing levels of pesticide residue. Wash tomatoes before
eating.

Chemical composition (moisture, ash, total fibre, protein, glucose and fructose), the taste index and
maturity were determined in five tomato cultivars (Dorothy, Boludo, Thomas, Dominique, Dunkan)
which were cultivated using intensive, organic and hydroponic methods in Tenerife. The chemical
composition was similar to most of the data found in the literature. There were many significant
differences in the mean values between the analysed parameters according to the cultivar, cultivation
method, region of cultivation and sampling period. Glucose and fructose concentrations were
strongly and positively correlated, suggesting the common origin of both sugars. The moisture
correlated inversely with the rest of the analysed parameters. Applying a stepwise discriminant
analysis (DA), low percentages of correct classifications were obtained according to the cultivar and
cultivation methods. The correct classification of the tomato samples improved when the DA was
applied to differentiate the tomatoes according to the sampling period.

The cultivated tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) came from south America and arrived in Europe in
the 15th century and during the 16th century arrived to Asia. It’s versatility and adaptability to use
became very popular and nowadays it has strong role in the food business and in culinary around
the world. Portugal is known as one of the best places in the world to grow tomato due to a special
combination of soils, temperature and geographic location. This gives to portuguese processed
tomato some unique characteristics, such as: high brix, low acidity, high content of lycopene, intense
colour and strong aroma.

As a consequence, tomatoes and tomato-based foods provide a convenient matrix by which

nutrients and other health-related food components can be supplied to human beings. Tomatoes
and tomato products are rich sources of folate, vitamin C, and potassium. Relative to phytonutrients,
the most abundant in tomatoes are the carotenoids. Lycopene is the most prominent carotenoid
followed by beta-carotene, gamma-carotene and phytoene as well as several minor carotenoids. The
antioxidant activity of lycopene as well as several other carotenoids and their abundance in tomatoes
makes these foods rich sources of antioxidant activity. The provitamin A activity of beta- and
gamma-carotene, their modest levels in tomato products, and the high consumption of these foods
results in a rich supply of vitamin A activity from tomato-based foods. Tomatoes also contain several
other components that are beneficial to health, including vitamin E, trace elements, flavonoids,
phytosterols, and several water-soluble vitamins.
a tropical vine (Ipomoea batatas) of the morning-glory family that is often grown for its edible
tuberous root or for its ornamental variously shaped green to purple leaves and usually white to
pinkish funnel-shaped flowers with pink to purple centers also : the large thick sweet and nutritious
tuberous root of the sweet potato that has beige, yellow, orange, red, or purple flesh and is cooked
and eaten as a vegetable

Sweet potatoes, or Ipomoea batatas, are root vegetables that are native to Central America. These
starchy vegetables have a bad reputation among individuals on low-carbohydrate diets, but a sweet
potato is a nutrient-dense food. If you eat them in moderation, plain sweet potatoes can fit into a
balanced diet.

A medium sweet potato is approximately 5 inches long, weighs 130 grams, or 4.5 ounces, and
contains 112 calories. Sweet potatoes count toward your recommended servings of red and orange
vegetables, such as carrots, red peppers and tomatoes, according to the Department of Health and
Human Services. A balanced 2,000-calorie diet includes at least 2 1/2 cups per day of vegetables,
including 5 1/2 cups each week of red and orange vegetables.

In developing countries where sweet potatoes are used as a food staple, the varieties have cream-
colored to white flesh and a bland flavor. They’re dry in texture and are not sweet. Their starchy, dry
content provides energy to staple diets. When baked, the starch in sweet potatoes breaks down into
maltose and other soluble sugars. Sweet potatoes eaten as a vegetable or dessert in developed
countries are moist, have a distinct flavor, high sugar content, and a yellow or deep orange color.

Green or purplish sweet potato stems in the form of vines grow along the ground and are less than 6
inches tall. They have a milky juice and grow roots at nodes. They are not branched, instead growing
short lateral stems from their sides. Their oval to round leaves are roughly 5 inches long with stems
from 1 to 4 inches long. These tops die back to the ground each winter. They bear pale violet to
white funnel-shaped flowers. Sweet potatoes have slender, pointed ends, not rounded ends as do
Irish potatoes. They mature in three to four months. Each plant will yield four to five sweet potatoes
from 3 to 9 inches long and about 1 3/4 inch wide. They have thin skins and bruise easily when
they’re dug.
The sweet potato is an underground tuber. It grows on the roots of a plant known scientifically as
Ipomoea batatas. It is rich in an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which is very effective at raising
blood levels of vitamin A, particularly in children (1, 2, 3, 4). Sweet potatoes are nutritious, high in
fiber, very filling and have a delicious sweet taste. They can be consumed in a variety of ways, but are
most commonly boiled, baked, steamed or fried. Sweet potatoes are most commonly orange, but are
also found in other colors, such as white, red, pink, violet, yellow and purple. In some parts of the
USA and Canada, sweet potatoes are called yams. This is a misnomer since yams are actually a totally
different species. Sweet potatoes are only distantly related to regular potatoes.

Corn earworm eggs are pin-head sized and has characteristic ridges. They are laid singly by female
moths and turn from white to dark brown before hatching in 3 to 10 days. Larvae pass through six
instars with the first being about 1/16 inches long. Larval development takes about 18 days before
they pupate in the soil and remain for about 8-14 days. Development from egg to adult takes 3 to 4
weeks during the summer. There are several generations per year.

Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts. Adults have siphoning mouths. The newly hatched caterpillar
will eat its egg shell and then feed on tender leaves. Older caterpillars feed on older leaves and
tunnel into fruit. A wide variety of wild plants and crops including beans, corn, cotton, peanuts,
sorghum, tomato, and ornamental (bedding and flowering) plants are suitable hosts. Caterpillars
have silk glands and produce silk threads around feeding sites. They also leave excrement in and
underneath feeding sites. Caterpillars can be picked from plants or collected using a sweep net or
drop cloth. Adults are attracted to pheromone traps or black light traps.