Brimato? Hybrid plant that gives both brinjal and tomatoes, made in Varanasi

We’ve heard of “Pomato (potato + tomato)”. Now, there’s “Brimato. No, it’s not a dish with brinjal and tomato, but a single plant that gives both brinjal and tomatoes.

Scientists at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi have successfully developed the hybrid plant by grafting a brinjal and a tomato plant. The dual-grafted “Brimato” would be useful in urban and suburban areas where there are very little spaces for growing vegetables, the developers believe.

The process of grafting was done using brinjal seedlings that were 25 to 30 days old and tomato seedlings that were 22 to 25 days old, the agriculture research institute said on its website, describing the process of developing Brimato.

After grafting, the seedlings were kept under a controlled atmospheric condition, where the temperature, humidity and light were kept at optimal levels for the first five to seven days. After this, they were placed in partial shade for another five to seven days.

The grafted plants were taken to the field 15 to 18 days after the grafting process. The scientists fed the plants with adequate fertiliser and took care to immediately remove shoots that grow below the grafting point on the plant.