E. Han Tan
@ekhtn.bsky.social
I like plants 🌾 🌱 / 🏳️🌈 {he/him} 🌈 / 🥔 Potato + 🧪 🧬 🖥️ 🐡 / Associate Professor, University of Maine
Science can be slow, but we continue make careful, incremental progress towards 🌱 🌰 restoration on many fronts -- this collaborative paper on speed breeding American chestnut is finally out this week: doi.org/10.1002/pld3...
Speed Breeding Transgenic American Chestnut Trees Toward Restoration
The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was a dominant, foundational forest canopy tree in eastern North America until an imported chestnut blight (caused by Cryphonectria parasitica) rendered it fu...
doi.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Science can be slow, but we continue make careful, incremental progress towards 🌱 🌰 restoration on many fronts -- this collaborative paper on speed breeding American chestnut is finally out this week: doi.org/10.1002/pld3...
One of the things I miss most about being in the Bay Area are the prodigious amount of persimmons that are available this time of year, so it’s always so special to receive a box of these from friends to brighten up cold snowy days in the northeast 🌱 🧡 #Ebenaceae
December 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
One of the things I miss most about being in the Bay Area are the prodigious amount of persimmons that are available this time of year, so it’s always so special to receive a box of these from friends to brighten up cold snowy days in the northeast 🌱 🧡 #Ebenaceae
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been in this building for almost nine years (nine!!) and have only just realized that the stained glass feature by our ‘tree of life’ chandelier in the foyer has the scientific name of potato inscribed on it 🥔 🥔 🥔 — How did I miss this?!
October 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been in this building for almost nine years (nine!!) and have only just realized that the stained glass feature by our ‘tree of life’ chandelier in the foyer has the scientific name of potato inscribed on it 🥔 🥔 🥔 — How did I miss this?!
Some of the early generation diploid potatoes from today, 2nd or 3rd year in the field and putting out some interesting colored flesh 🌈
September 15, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Some of the early generation diploid potatoes from today, 2nd or 3rd year in the field and putting out some interesting colored flesh 🌈
Purple Tomato tart, Purple Tomato nachos, Purple Tomato everything!
September 10, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Purple Tomato tart, Purple Tomato nachos, Purple Tomato everything!
Hi @abbybuch.bsky.social @devjanee.bsky.social @rolyanharas.bsky.social @thelucalab.bsky.social !! 🫨
September 4, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Recent fav, Viola canadensis from the Great Smoky Mountains NP this summer
September 2, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Recent fav, Viola canadensis from the Great Smoky Mountains NP this summer
What’s the first vegetable to grown in outer space?
If you know me, you know the answer has to be 🥔❕
www.andnowuknow.com/bloom/potato...
If you know me, you know the answer has to be 🥔❕
www.andnowuknow.com/bloom/potato...
The Potato Became the First Vegetable Grown in Space with Help from Wisconsin
ANTIGO, WI - Back in 1995, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and NASA partnered to help tubers become the first vegetable grown in space. Creating these “Quantum Tubers” involved “combining an agric...
www.andnowuknow.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:31 AM
What’s the first vegetable to grown in outer space?
If you know me, you know the answer has to be 🥔❕
www.andnowuknow.com/bloom/potato...
If you know me, you know the answer has to be 🥔❕
www.andnowuknow.com/bloom/potato...
Ok, TDIL and answered my own question -- from Yeager (1927)
July 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Ok, TDIL and answered my own question -- from Yeager (1927)
Has anyone encountered this tomato phenotype? It seems to be quite consistent and essentially self-pruning!
The shoot apical meristem terminates into a floral meristem instead of continuing to grow vines.
This was a volunteer seedling from vegetable bed that I randomly transplanted into a pot.
The shoot apical meristem terminates into a floral meristem instead of continuing to grow vines.
This was a volunteer seedling from vegetable bed that I randomly transplanted into a pot.
July 20, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Has anyone encountered this tomato phenotype? It seems to be quite consistent and essentially self-pruning!
The shoot apical meristem terminates into a floral meristem instead of continuing to grow vines.
This was a volunteer seedling from vegetable bed that I randomly transplanted into a pot.
The shoot apical meristem terminates into a floral meristem instead of continuing to grow vines.
This was a volunteer seedling from vegetable bed that I randomly transplanted into a pot.
Any stone tool researchers out there? Beach find, this piece has a sharp edge and is perfectly grooved for holding with right hand as seen here. Material is unlike any rock found in the area.
July 7, 2025 at 5:15 AM
Any stone tool researchers out there? Beach find, this piece has a sharp edge and is perfectly grooved for holding with right hand as seen here. Material is unlike any rock found in the area.
Sunrise and sunset at Gili Air, one of the islands off the coast of Lombok. Fun fact: we crossed Wallace’s line yesterday from Bali to get here, and this island has no motorized vehicles! To get around other than being on foot, you have a choice of bicycles, electric scooters or horse-drawn carts.
June 28, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Sunrise and sunset at Gili Air, one of the islands off the coast of Lombok. Fun fact: we crossed Wallace’s line yesterday from Bali to get here, and this island has no motorized vehicles! To get around other than being on foot, you have a choice of bicycles, electric scooters or horse-drawn carts.
Sunset scene from St Andrews, earlier this week at a potato breeding and genetics meeting at the University of St Andrews. 🥔 🧬 🌱
June 20, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Sunset scene from St Andrews, earlier this week at a potato breeding and genetics meeting at the University of St Andrews. 🥔 🧬 🌱
We all need more cats in our timeline, no?
June 10, 2025 at 1:28 AM
We all need more cats in our timeline, no?
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) of the Great Smoky Mountain NP ~two weeks ago.
June 1, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) of the Great Smoky Mountain NP ~two weeks ago.
One of my favorite spring ephemerals, gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)!
June 1, 2025 at 10:58 AM
One of my favorite spring ephemerals, gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)!
Back in the greenhouse today 🌱 🌱 and here are some good looking (and fragrant) inbred diploid potato flowers 🌸 🌸
April 22, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Back in the greenhouse today 🌱 🌱 and here are some good looking (and fragrant) inbred diploid potato flowers 🌸 🌸
This cat was superrr helpful at the checkout counter in ‘cat city’ in Borneo. So… is this worthy of @bodegacats.bsky.social ?
March 29, 2025 at 12:52 PM
This cat was superrr helpful at the checkout counter in ‘cat city’ in Borneo. So… is this worthy of @bodegacats.bsky.social ?
We’ve grown a lot of potato from botanical seed, but this is our first truly albino seedling. I know… I know… there are yeastie beasties on the plate but these were destined for soil, so it’s not an issue.
March 27, 2025 at 5:46 AM
We’ve grown a lot of potato from botanical seed, but this is our first truly albino seedling. I know… I know… there are yeastie beasties on the plate but these were destined for soil, so it’s not an issue.
First frog sighting in ME of 2025 from 4 days ago, a cute spring peeper from our Maine Big Night survey. mainebignight.org
March 20, 2025 at 10:34 PM
First frog sighting in ME of 2025 from 4 days ago, a cute spring peeper from our Maine Big Night survey. mainebignight.org
Today’s weird potato flower is one that looks like fasiflora (fa) mutants in tomato, but as usual, nothing is known about this mutation in tuber bearing Solanum.
Pub with the fa mutant in tomato:
www.researchgate.net/profile/Beat...
Pub with the fa mutant in tomato:
www.researchgate.net/profile/Beat...
March 20, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Today’s weird potato flower is one that looks like fasiflora (fa) mutants in tomato, but as usual, nothing is known about this mutation in tuber bearing Solanum.
Pub with the fa mutant in tomato:
www.researchgate.net/profile/Beat...
Pub with the fa mutant in tomato:
www.researchgate.net/profile/Beat...
Here are some potato flowers from our crossing block this year! Getting ready to go.
March 14, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Here are some potato flowers from our crossing block this year! Getting ready to go.