This is the time of year when many gardeners are harvesting tomatoes. Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported about the many pictures of strangely shaped tomatoes sent to her from fans of her gardening advice. She said people sometimes question if the tomatoes are okay to eat. The good news, Damiano said, is that there is nothing wrong with the deformed fruits. Unless otherwise diseased, they are perfectly good for eating. Their unusual appearance does not affect their taste or nutritional value.

每年这个时候，许多园丁都会收获西红柿。美联社园艺专家杰西卡·达米亚诺最近报道了她的园艺建议的粉丝们发给她的许多形状奇怪的西红柿的照片。她说人们有时会质疑西红柿是否可以吃。达米亚诺说，好消息是这些畸形的水果没有任何问题。除非有其他疾病，否则它们非常适合食用。它们不寻常的外观不会影响它们的味道或营养价值。

If you have ever cut open a tomato, you know they are divided into internal parts, called locules, which contain seeds and a substance called gel. Most tomatoes have about four or five locules; other kinds of the fruit, like cherry tomatoes, contain two or three. Plum or Roma tomatoes have two locules.But when a plant experiences temperature extremes, cell division in the developing fruit can go off track. Temperatures over 32 degrees Celsius during the day and 27 overnight can lead the tomato to form an extra locule. But there is not enough room inside a tomato for the extra part, so it grows on the outside of the fruit. Not every tomato on an affected plant will be deformed, however.

如果您曾经切开过西红柿，您就会知道它们分为内部部分，称为小室，其中含有种子和一种称为凝胶的物质。大多数西红柿大约有四到五个小室；其他种类的水果，如樱桃番茄，则含有两种或三种。李子或罗马番茄有两个小室。但是当植物经历极端温度时，正在发育的果实中的细胞分裂可能会偏离轨道。白天超过32摄氏度和夜间超过27摄氏度的温度会导致番茄形成额外的小室。但番茄内部没有足够的空间容纳多余的部分，因此它生长在果实的外部。然而，并非受影响植物上的每个番茄都会变形。

“Under the right conditions (temperatures that are too hot or even too cold), this could affect one or two tomatoes per plant, depending on where they are in the development process and what the (weather) conditions are,” said Timothy McDermott. He is an assistant professor and extension educator at Ohio State University. The likelihood of one of your tomatoes developing a locule oddity is estimated to be about one in a thousand, McDermott said. Any tomato can grow an extra locule. But, Damiano noted, heirloom kinds seem more likely to have this genetic mutation than hybrids.

“在适当的条件下（温度太热甚至太冷），这可能会影响每株植物的一到两个西红柿，具体取决于它们处于发育过程中的阶段以及（天气）条件，”蒂莫西·麦克德莫特说。他是俄亥俄州立大学的助理教授和推广教育家。麦克德莫特说，你的一个西红柿出现小室异常的可能性约为千分之一。任何番茄都可以长出额外的小室。但是，达米亚诺指出，传家宝品种似乎比杂交品种更有可能出现这种基因突变。

The extra-locule mutation is not the only abnormality caused by extreme heat. Conditions including sunscald, blossom drop, halted fruit formation and ripening can also arise when plants are grown outside their usual temperature limit. Provide shade for your plants when temperatures are predicted to remain above 32 degrees Celsius for several days. Attach a piece of 40 to 50 percent shade cloth to stakes inserted into the ground around the plant. Leave it in place from 12 to 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest. Then remove it to avoid problems caused by a lack of sunlight. And, when harvesting your crop, remember: the funny-looking tomatoes taste just as good!

细胞外突变并不是极热引起的唯一异常。当植物生长在其通常的温度限制之外时，也会出现包括晒伤、落花、果实形成和成熟停止等情况。当预计气温将连续几天保持在 32 摄氏度以上时，为您的植物提供遮荫。将一块 40% 至 50% 的遮阳布固定在插入植物周围地面的木桩上。中午 12 点到 4 点，当阳光最强烈时，将其放置在适当的位置。然后将其取下，以避免因缺乏阳光而引起的问题。而且，在收获作物时，请记住：看起来滑稽的西红柿味道也一样好！