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Crop genetics: novel gene involved in tomato ripening Chinese researchers have identified a new gene which regulates the ripening of tomatoes. Several genes known to control tomato ripening are members of the NAC family of regulators. To identify others, a team led by Daqi Fu of China Agricultural University blocked the expression of candidate NAC genes. The discovered that silencing NOR-like1 repressed ripening, leaving the tomatoes partially green. The team also engineered plants with defective copies of NOR-like1 and found that this delayed ripening and eventually resulted in partially ripe fruit and impaired seed development. RNA sequencing of these lines revealed that NOR-like1 directly regulates genes involved in ethylene synthesis, carotenoid accumluation, chlorophyll metabolism, and cell wall breakdown. These findings clearly demonstrate a key role for NOR-like1 as a positive regulator of tomato ripening and a potential tool for controlling this important process.