Search Results (579)

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the most destructive viral diseases causing severe yield losses in tomato production worldwide. This study investigated the effects of TYLCV infection on plant growth, photosynthetic physiological responses, and yield formation in greenhouse-grown tomatoes and evaluated the applicability of physiological trait-based yield prediction models. Two large-fruited tomato cultivars widely cultivated in Korean protected horticulture systems, ‘Daphnis’ and ‘Pink Star’, were inoculated with TYLCV under greenhouse conditions, and their growth, physiological responses, and yield characteristics were compared under high- and low-temperature growing seasons. TYLCV infection significantly reduced leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area index (LAI), and decreased both flowering truss number and fruit-setting truss number, resulting in reduced total yield. Physiological analyses showed that infected plants exhibited decreases in the OJIP fluorescence rise curve and Fv/Fm values, indicating a reduced photochemical efficiency in photosystem II. In addition, A–Ci response curve analysis revealed a reduction in net photosynthetic rate, suggesting limited carbon assimilation capacity. Total yield showed significant positive correlations with maximum net photosynthetic rate (Amax), Fv/Fm, and Ci300. GGE and GT biplot analyses further indicated that yield was closely associated with photosynthetic performance and canopy development traits. A multiple regression model based on physiological traits and virus infection status explained a significant proportion of the variation in tomato yield (R² = 0.367), indicating that TYLCV infection acts as a key limiting factor for yield reduction. These findings demonstrate that TYLCV infection restricts tomato productivity through reduced photosynthetic efficiency and altered canopy structure. Moreover, physiological trait-based yield prediction approaches may provide a useful framework for evaluating productivity under viral infection conditions and for developing data-driven crop management strategies in greenhouse tomato production systems. Full article

High-temperature stress severely limits the growth, development, and productivity of tomatoes. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying its thermotolerance is crucial for breeding heat-resistant varieties. This study employed a stepwise experimental strategy to systematically elucidate the role of the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein SlCAB3 in tomato thermotolerance. First, a high-temperature responsive transcription factor, SlDREBA4, previously identified in our lab, was used in a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify potential interacting proteins, including SlCAB3. The interaction between SlDREBA4 and SlCAB3 was further validated using tobacco in vivo luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) and in vitro pull-down assays. Subsequently, the expression patterns of SlCAB3 under heat stress were analyzed, and its biological function was further evaluated through overexpression, gene silencing, and knockout experiments. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities, chlorophyll content, and the expression of stress-responsive genes were measured to comprehensively assess their physiological and molecular regulatory roles. The results indicate that SlCAB3 encodes a typical chlorophyll a/b-binding protein and is rapidly induced by heat stress. Overexpression of SlCAB3 significantly enhances plant thermotolerance, evidenced by reduced heat damage, increased chlorophyll content, decreased ROS accumulation, elevated antioxidant enzyme activities, and upregulation of antioxidant-related genes. Conversely, silencing SlCAB3 produces opposite effects. Moreover, co-expression of SlCAB3 with SlDREBA4 further improves thermotolerance, accompanied by enhanced expression of heat shock protein-related and antioxidant-related genes. In conclusion, SlCAB3 is a positive regulator of tomato thermotolerance, and the interaction module formed with SlDREBA4 may collectively enhance heat resistance by strengthening antioxidant defense and heat stress response mechanisms. Full article

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production faces increasing pressure from resource scarcity and climate change, creating demand for more precise and adaptive management. However, adoption in commercial systems remains limited because many advanced technologies are costly, poorly interoperable, or difficult for growers to interpret. This review addresses that gap by organizing recent advances into a five-stage production ecosystem framework: Measurement, Understanding, Optimization, Prediction, and Diagnosis. Unlike previous precision agriculture reviews that mainly summarize sensing, modeling, artificial intelligence, and robotics as separate topics, this framework emphasizes stage-linked integration and decision support relevance across practical tomato production. Measurement establishes the data foundation through sensor networks and imaging; Understanding converts observations into physiological insight using process-based models; Optimization applies these insights to water, nutrient, and microclimate management. Prediction uses machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence to anticipate yield, quality, and stress responses, while Diagnosis supports timely disease detection and vision-based intervention. Overall, this review shows that progress in tomato precision agriculture depends less on isolated algorithmic advances than on cost-effective, modular, interpretable, and operationally feasible systems for commercial deployment. Full article

Currently, the escalating global problem of soil salinization severely limits the yield and quality of processing tomatoes. However, the differential responses and salt-tolerance strategies among processing tomato genotypes with different salt tolerances under salt stress remain largely elusive. Therefore, this study used salt-tolerant genotype ‘S39’ and salt-sensitive genotype ‘S37’ as materials. Seeds were sown in plug trays, and seedlings at the two-leaf-one-heart stage were transplanted into hydroponic containers filled with Hoagland nutrient solution. When seedlings reached the four-leaf-one-heart stage, they were exposed to NaCl treatments of 0 mM (control), 120 mM (Na120), and 180 mM (Na180). Plant samples were collected at 3, 6, and 9 days after treatment to determine growth parameters, physiological indices, and gene expression levels, aiming to reveal the dynamic differential responses to salt stress between the two processing tomato genotypes. The results demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of NaCl on the growth of processing tomatoes was aggravated with increasing NaCl concentration and treatment duration. The most significant difference in salt tolerance between the two genotypes was observed at 9 days under 180 mM NaCl treatment. At this sampling point, the relative salt-stress indices of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, peroxidase (POD) activity, soluble sugar content, proline content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll (a + b) in ‘S39’ were significantly higher than those in ‘S37’ by 31.55%, 53.40%, 66.70%, 65.07%, 20.80%, 15.74%, and 19.44%, respectively. In addition, Na contents in roots and stems, as well as K contents in stems and leaves, were significantly higher in ‘S39’ than in ‘S37’ by 43.40%, 8.67%, 22.08%, and 21.99%, respectively. In contrast, relative electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in ‘S37’ were 15.54% and 12.44% higher than those in ‘S39’. In addition, photosynthetic parameters, including net photosynthetic rate (A_net), stomatal conductance (g_s), intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i), transpiration rate (E), and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, were more stable in ‘S39’ than in ‘S37’. In conclusion, ‘S39’ possesses stronger salt tolerance via a multi-level regulatory strategy involving an enhanced antioxidant enzyme system, elevated accumulation of osmoregulatory substances, improved mineral ion balance, and increased stability of the photosynthetic apparatus. This study provides a comprehensive multi-level analysis of the differential salt tolerance mechanisms in processing tomato genotypes with contrasting salt tolerances and lays a theoretical basis for the screening and identification of salt-tolerant germplasm in processing tomatoes. Full article

Traditional irrigation management for tomatoes in solar greenhouses relies heavily on empirical manual experience and single soil moisture indicators, often leading to irrigation scheduling that lacks crop-specific physiological evidence and results in suboptimal water-use efficiency. To address these challenges, this study developed an intelligent, plant-centric irrigation decision-making framework for greenhouse tomatoes in the arid region of Xinjiang. Central to this framework is the precise identification of irrigation timing—the most critical first step and a fundamental prerequisite for achieving true on-demand irrigation. By monitoring the high-frequency dynamics of stem diameter (SD) and integrating soil moisture data, the physiological responsiveness of tomatoes to water stress was systematically analyzed. A hybrid predictive model, STL-LSTM, was constructed by coupling Seasonal-Trend decomposition using Loess (STL) with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to forecast 24-h SD trends. Furthermore, an innovative dual-threshold irrigation mechanism was established, utilizing a physiological trigger (Maximum Daily Shrinkage, MDS > 70 μm) and a soil moisture constraint (Volumetric Water Content, VWC ≤ 17%). Results demonstrated that tomato SD exhibited distinct diurnal rhythms, with MDS and Daily Increment (DI) identified as highly sensitive indicators of plant water status. The proposed STL-LSTM model achieved superior predictive performance during the peak fruiting stage, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9184, representing an improvement of 14.8% and 27.56% over standalone LSTM and ARIMA models, respectively. The validation of the dual-threshold mechanism confirms its ability to balance real-time crop water demand with conservation requirements, effectively mitigating the risks of premature or delayed irrigation inherent in traditional methods. This research provides scientific rationale and technical support for the transition of greenhouse agriculture in arid regions towards precision irrigation and optimised water resource management. Full article

Low-light (LL) stress is a major abiotic limiting factor in protected cherry tomato production, adversely affecting vegetative growth, inducing oxidative damage, and disrupting fruit sugar metabolism. To clarify the regulatory role of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in mitigating LL stress, we examined the effects of varying ABA concentrations on plant growth, antioxidant capacity, and fruit sugar metabolism in cherry tomatoes under low-light conditions. A two-factor randomized complete block design, with two light regimes—normal light (NL, 100% natural sunlight) and low light (LL, 25% natural sunlight)—and three ABA concentrations (CK: 0 mg·L⁻¹, T1: 10 mg·L⁻¹, T2: 20 mg·L⁻¹). Fruits were sampled at three typical ripening stages (green mature, breaker, and red ripe) to evaluate vegetative and reproductive physiological responses. The results showed that exogenous ABA application effectively suppressed LL-induced excessive stem elongation and alleviated LL-caused reductions in stem diameter and biomass accumulation. ABA treatment significantly increased peroxidase (POD) activity and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) accumulation, thereby relieving LL-triggered oxidative damage. In addition, ABA regulated key sugar-metabolizing enzymes (soluble acid invertase (SAI), sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and amylase (Amy)) and the transcript levels of related functional genes (HXK1, SPS, SS, AI), thereby mediating stage-dependent fruit sugar metabolism under LL stress. In conclusion, exogenous ABA effectively modulates vegetative growth, antioxidant homeostasis, and stage-specific fruit sugar metabolism, ultimately alleviating low-light stress damage in cherry tomato. Among the tested treatments, 20 mg·L⁻¹ ABA exhibited the most pronounced mitigation effects, which can be recommended as an optimal foliar application concentration for cherry tomato cultivation in low-light protected facilities. Full article

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea poses a severe threat to tomato production. In this study, physiological, biochemical, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses were integrated to characterize the dynamic responses of tomato ‘Ailsa Craig’ to B. cinerea infection. During B. cinerea infection, peroxidase (POD) activity showed a progressive increase, while catalase (CAT) activity was significantly upregulated at 24 hpi and remained stable through 48 hpi. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents showed a delayed response, increasing significantly only at 48 hpi, whereas SOD activity exhibited a biphasic pattern. Transcriptome and proteome profiling identified 5824 differentially expressed genes and 124 differentially expressed proteins. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted defense-related pathways, including plant–pathogen interaction, flavonoid biosynthesis, and inositol phosphate metabolism. Notably, the chlorophyll a/b-binding protein SlLhcb13 exhibited post-transcriptional upregulation despite transcriptional suppression. Functional validation demonstrated that overexpression of SlLhcb13 enhanced resistance, whereas silencing increased susceptibility. These findings identify SlLhcb13 as a positive regulator linking photosynthesis to immunity and provide new insights into the defense mechanisms of tomato. Full article

Desiccation tolerance is a critical adaptive trait that enables plants to survive extreme water loss, yet its physiological basis in tomato and its wild relatives remains poorly understood. In this study, chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging was used as a reliable tool to evaluate photosystem II (PSII) response to progressive desiccation. The analysis was conducted in cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and five wild relatives (Solanum chilense, Solanum habrochaites, Solanum peruvianum, Solanum pimpinellifolium, and Solanum pennellii). Detached leaves were subjected to controlled desiccation for up to 50 h. During this period, tissue moisture content (TMC), relative water content (RWC), PSII photochemical efficiency [Fv/Fm; maximum quantum yield (QY_max)], minimal fluorescence (F0), maximal fluorescence (Fm), and variable fluorescence (Fv) were monitored to assess changes in photosynthetic performance. Desiccation caused a significant, moisture-dependent decline in PSII efficiency across all species, with QY_max showing a strong linear relationship with RWC (R² = 0.80–0.90). Interspecific variation was evident as S. chilense, S. habrochaites, S. peruvianum, and S. pimpinellifolium exhibited rapid PSII impairment, while S. lycopersicum showed moderate tolerance. In contrast, S. pennellii maintained higher PSII stability, with 50% loss of efficiency occurring only at lower RWC (30–35%). Overall, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging effectively captured functional diversity in desiccation tolerance, highlighting S. pennellii as a valuable genetic resource for improving drought resilience in tomato. Full article

The Mediterranean Basin faces increasing risks from extreme weather events, particularly heat stress, which severely threatens the productivity of sensitive crops, like processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). This study evaluated the agronomic, physiological, quality, and economic performance of using Mater-Bi^®-based biodegradable mulch films—varying in color (black and White/Black) and thickness (12 µm and 15 µm)—in two distinct Southern Italian pedoclimatic sites: Sicily and Campania. The aim was to define site-specific optimization strategies by comparing three biodegradable mulch film treatments, 12 µm (BDM12), 15 µm (BDM15), and Black/White (BDBW), against bare soil (BS). The results confirmed that biodegradable mulching enhances plant physiological status, such as chlorophyll and nitrogen balance index (NBI), and marketable yield compared to BS. The effectiveness of the films depended significantly on the environment. In Sicily, the BDBW (White/Black) film provided the maximum marketable yield (804.7 q ha⁻¹), confirming its crucial role in mitigating high soil temperatures through radiation reflection. Conversely, in the more favorable Campanian environment, the thicker black film (BDN15) achieved the highest yield (867.3 q ha⁻¹), indicating that microclimate stability is prioritized over heat mitigation under optimal conditions. Quality analysis showed high variability; while the Sicilian site generally favored color and antioxidant capacity, total soluble solids (°Brix) exhibited a trade-off. BDBW achieved the highest °Brix (6.1) in Sicily, while BS yielded the highest (6.03) in Campania, suggesting that slight water stress can concentrate sugars at the expense of total yield. The economic analysis demonstrated that the °Brix increase achieved with biodegradable films provided a net additional economic return superior to BS in both sites (up to +52.92% with BDBW). These findings suggest that the adoption of biodegradable mulching represents a key strategy for the sustainable intensification of processing tomato. Future cultivation strategies must mandatorily integrate the personalized selection of film color and thickness as a key element to synergistically maximize yield, quality, and economic return, tailored to the specific pedoclimatic conditions of each production site. Full article

With global warming and climate change, drought stress is nowadays a threatening problem for growing vegetable crops worldwide. The introduction of more resilient and less water-demanding varieties is a key aspect for sustainable vegetable production, especially in Mediterranean countries where water availability for agricultural uses is progressively decreasing. This review highlights different mechanisms of tomato plant, as one of the most important crops of the Mediterranean countries, which are activated at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels in response to drought. With regard to the root system architecture modification, osmotic adjustments, and hormonal and antioxidant regulations are discussed. For vegetative organs, plant architecture, leaf morphology adjustments and stomatal regulation are described. Major genetic traits related to drought stress, along with responsive genes, are listed. The metabolic pathways, which determine the tolerance to drought stress, are reported and their related molecular markers used for the molecular-assisted selection (MAS) are listed. Novel growing systems and techniques which can improve efficiency for mitigating drought are highlighted; in addition, different breeding methods, both conventional and new gene-editing ones, are mentioned. Full article

Biostimulants offer a sustainable strategy to improve plant growth and stress resilience, particularly under limited water availability. We evaluated seven biostimulant treatments, including beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, seaweed extract with humic acid, and their combinations, on early growth and physiological responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under well–watered and drought-stressed conditions. Plants were assessed before and after a seven-day controlled drought period using a range of morphological and physiological traits, including height, effective quantum yield of PSII (Φ_PSII), stomatal conductance (g_s), and leaf pigment profile. Results showed that microbial treatments that included Bacteria + Mycorrhizae (B + M) maintained Φ_PSII above 0.60 and preserved height gain relative to the control, while seaweed-based formulations with humic acid (S + H) exhibited significant reductions in height of up to 35% compared with full irrigation. In addition, the bacterial treatment (B) significantly increased the root/shoot ratio under drought, indicating enhanced carbon allocation to roots. These findings demonstrate that specific microbial-based biostimulant combinations can better maintain physiological performance and growth under water limitation, supporting their potential use in sustainable tomato production systems. Full article

Tomato high pigment-2 (hp-2^dg, hp-2, and hp-2^j) mutant lines are characterized by mutations in the DE-ETIOLATED1 (SlDET1; Solyc01g056340) gene. SlDET1 is responsible for encoding a nuclear protein that acts as a negative regulator involved in light signaling, repressing photomorphogenesis. These tomato mutant lines are known for increased levels of antioxidant pigments in fruits, such as flavonoids and carotenoids, compared to the wild-type fruits. In this study, CRISPR/Cas9, followed by the non-homologous end joining mechanism of repair (NHEJ), was used to target the SlDET1 gene and investigate whether the effects of these mutations could mimic the effects of hp-2 mutant lines, improving the nutritional features of tomato fruits. Our results indicated that mutations generated by CRISPR/Cas9 NHEJ in the hp-2 and hp-2^j regions (exon 11) resulted in significant changes in the SlDET1 coding and protein sequences. These mutations caused a low survival rate of edited sprouts and regenerated plants with a very compromised capacity of allelic heritability of these mutations for the following generations. However, regenerated plants containing these site-specific mutations in the SlDET1 gene showed higher levels of phytochemicals in ripe fruits. Furthermore, these edited plants also showed an upregulation of structural genes involved in the synthesis of these biocompounds. Although the SlDET1 gene could be considered an interesting target gene for the nutritional improvement of tomato fruits, our results showed that mutations within its exon 11 are quite critical and can induce severe perturbations in plant physiology, with a compromised possibility to develop new stable edited lines. Full article

The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), poses a significant threat to global tomato production. However, environmentally sustainable management strategies for this pest, as well as its mechanisms of insecticide resistance, remain insufficiently understood. Broflanilide, a novel meta-diamide compound, can bind specifically to the transmembrane domain of the RDL subunit, causing prolonged opening of the chloride channel, disruption of neurotransmission, and ultimately insect paralysis and death. This study employed the leaf immersion method to conduct bioassays on the second-instar larvae of T. absoluta to evaluate physiological responses to sublethal concentrations of the novel amide insecticide broflanilide. Subsequently, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was performed to investigate changes in gene expression and metabolic pathways. Bioassay results determined the larval sublethal concentrations of broflanilide to be 0.136 mg/L (LC₁₀) and 0.210 mg/L (LC₃₀). Sublethal exposure significantly prolonged the larval period, reduced pupal weight, and inhibited fecundity of female adults. Transcriptomic and qPCR analyses revealed that, compared with the control (CK), expression of the vitellogenin gene Vg decreased by 15.99% and 30.27% under LC₁₀ and LC₃₀ treatments, respectively, while its receptor gene VgR decreased by 11.56% and 24.49%. Similarly, expression of chitin synthase genes chs1 and chs2 declined by 13.56% and 30.17% (chs1), and 7.85% and 19.45% (chs2), respectively. Gene expression analysis elucidated how sublethal insecticides treatment impact larval development and fecundity. Furthermore, the study revealed upregulation of cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification pathways and Toll/Imd immune signaling pathways under broflanilide stress, indicating activation of a coordinated defense response in T. absoluta. Sublethal broflanilide exposure modulated larval gene expression to balance growth, development, and stress adaptation. Such exposure exerts selective pressure on susceptible populations, potentially driving adaptive shifts in detoxification metabolism and contributing to the development of field resistance. These findings advance our understanding of the sublethal effects of novel insecticides and provide valuable insights for insecticide deployment strategies and resistance management. Full article

Tomato fruit rot severely impacts yield and quality, causing economic losses. This study aimed to identify the pathogenic fungi associated with post-harvest tomato fruit rot and characterize the transcriptomic responses of tomatoes. Pathogens were isolated from diseased tomato fruit tissues and identified using morphology, phylogenetic analysis, and in vitro pathogenicity tests. The genome of Cladosporium oxysporum Co-1 was assembled and annotated. RNA-seq analysis was used to profile transcriptional changes in tomatoes infected with C. oxysporum Co-1, with RT-qPCR validating the RNA-seq data and spectrophotometric assays analyzing the host physiological responses. Three pathogenic fungi were isolated. Colonies of C. oxysporum exhibited a near-circular shape, with colonies transitioning from an olive-green center to gray-green at the edges, and based on ITS, β-tubulin, and EF-1α gene sequences, this isolate exhibited 99% identity with C. oxysporum. The other two fungal isolates were identified as Alternaria alternata and Fusarium incarnatum, respectively, based on morphological and multi-locus sequence analysis. All three strains induced fruit rot and browning in tomatoes, confirming their pathogenicity. The genome size of C. oxysporum Co-1 was 34,515,558 bp, comprising 52 scaffolds with a GC content of 52.82%, and encoding 10,081 protein-coding genes. RNA-seq analysis showed dynamic gene expression changes in tomatoes infected with strain A, with differentially expressed genes enriched in pathogenicity-related pathways. Spectrophotometric assays revealed that peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities decreased initially followed by an increase post-inoculation with C. oxysporum, indicating that tomatoes defend against pathogen infection through the antioxidant enzyme system. These findings revealed the pathogenic fungi were associated with post-harvest tomato rot disease, provided genomic resources for C. oxysporum, and provided insight into the host’s response to this strain. Full article

In desert regions, frequent aeolian dust events lead to rapid dust accumulation on greenhouse films, critically compromising light transmittance and inhibiting crop growth. To address this challenge, this study integrated Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Phase Model (CFD-DPM) simulations with field experiments to conduct a comprehensive investigation spanning from microscopic deposition mechanisms to macroscopic physiological responses. Particle characterization revealed a distinct aerodynamic sorting effect, wherein fine particles (<65 μm) preferentially adhered to film surfaces driven by airflow, contrasting sharply with the gravitational settling of coarse ground particles. Numerical simulations further confirmed that as wind speeds increased from 2 to 7 m/s, dust deposition rates exhibited a significant exponential reduction, with accumulation predominantly concentrated in the windward and wake zones. The dust layer covering the film induced a substantial reduction in the indoor daily light integral (DLI), which leads to influence tomato growth that stunted plant height and suppressed the net photosynthetic rate. Physiologically, antioxidant enzyme activities exhibited an initial surge followed by a decline, reflecting photosynthetic constraints and oxidative stress. Consequently, a high-frequency cleaning interval of 7–14 days is recommended to significantly enhance photosynthetic capacity and stress resilience. Full article