Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit

Chen, Jinyan; He, Chenyang; Luo, Qu; Zhong, Yujuan; Xu, Yingchao; Luo, Jiayu; Li, Huaiyuan; Zhang, Xuelian

doi:10.3390/ijms27114690

Open AccessArticle

Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit

by

Jinyan Chen

^1,†,

Chenyang He

^1,†,

Qu Luo

¹,

Yujuan Zhong

²,

Yingchao Xu

²,

Jiayu Luo

^1,2,

Huaiyuan Li

³ and

Xuelian Zhang

^1,*

¹

College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

²

Guangdong Key Laboratory for New Technology Research of Vegetables, Vegetable Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China

³

National Demonstration Center for Experimental Essentials of Plant Biology Education (SCAU)/Basic Experiment and Practice Training Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(11), 4690; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114690

Submission received: 10 April 2026 / Revised: 15 May 2026 / Accepted: 18 May 2026 / Published: 22 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Plant Sciences)

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Abstract

Fruit coloration is a key determinant of tomato quality, yet how light and temperature interact to regulate pigmentation during ripening remains unclear. Using a semi-in-fruit experimental system, we demonstrate that while high light accelerates chlorophyll degradation and lycopene accumulation at 25 °C, supra-optimal temperature (40 °C) completely abolishes lycopene biosynthesis irrespective of light conditions, primarily through transcriptional suppression of SlPSY1 and SlGGPS2. Elevated postharvest temperatures (≥30 °C) not only change the carotenoid composition but also reduce the antioxidant capacity and vitamin C content in fruit. Temperature-switch experiments revealed a critical developmental window, days 2–4 after ethylene treatment, during which temperature exerts dominant control over carotenoid metabolism. Exposure to high temperature within this window irreversibly shifts pigment accumulation from lycopene to yellow/orange carotenoids. These findings identify a temporally precise regulatory nexus integrating environmental signals with the ripening program, offering a framework for targeted temperature management to optimize tomato color and nutritional quality.

Keywords: tomato fruit; chlorophyll; lycopene; temperature; high light

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, J.; He, C.; Luo, Q.; Zhong, Y.; Xu, Y.; Luo, J.; Li, H.; Zhang, X. Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 4690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114690

AMA Style

Chen J, He C, Luo Q, Zhong Y, Xu Y, Luo J, Li H, Zhang X. Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(11):4690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114690

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Jinyan, Chenyang He, Qu Luo, Yujuan Zhong, Yingchao Xu, Jiayu Luo, Huaiyuan Li, and Xuelian Zhang. 2026. "Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 11: 4690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114690

APA Style

Chen, J., He, C., Luo, Q., Zhong, Y., Xu, Y., Luo, J., Li, H., & Zhang, X. (2026). Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(11), 4690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114690

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Temperature Dominates Light in Regulating Lycopene During a Critical Period in Postharvest Tomato Fruit

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