The effect of water deficit on concentrations of carotenoids was investigated
in ripening tomatoes using HPLC-PDA. Fifteen different tomato cultivars were
grown under three levels of water supply and unripe and fully-ripe fruits
were harvested at different stages. Water deficit significantly affected
several morphological and fruit yield-related parameters. In unripe tomato
fruits, the relative concentrations of xanthophyll cycle carotenoids, e.g.,
violaxanthin and antheraxanthin, were significantly increased at the expense
of ?-carotene upon limiting the water supply. In ripe fruits,
nutritionally-relevant lycopene, ?-carotene and lutein levels were broadly
independent of water deficit when considering all 15 cultivars, although
significant variations were observed among fruits from different genotypes.
Our study highlights the importance of careful genotype selection for the
production of tomatoes rich in nutritionally-relevant compounds like lycopene
and ?-carotene.
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