A Phenomics and Metabolomics Investigation on the Modulation of Drought Stress by a Biostimulant Plant Extract in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract

Biostimulants are gaining increasing interest because of their ability to provide a green and effective strategy towards sustainable crop production. Nonetheless, their mode of action remains often unknown. The object of this work was to unravel the mechanisms through which 4-Vita, a biostimulant plant extract, can mitigate drought stress in tomato. To this aim, tomato plants were treated with two foliar applications of 4-Vita and drought stress imposed to both treated and control plants. Phenomics investigations were coupled to mass spectrometric untargeted metabolomics, and raw data were elaborated by multivariate statistics and pathway analysis. The biostimulant elicited a broad reprogramming of the tomato’s secondary metabolism, including its phytohormones profile, corroborating an improved ability to cope with drought stress. A series of mechanisms could be identified in response to the biostimulant treatment under drought, pointing to the preservation of photosynthetic machinery functionality. The modulation of thylakoid membrane lipids, the increase in xanthins involved in ROS detoxification, and the modulation of chlorophylls synthesis could also be observed. Overall, a series of coordinated biochemical mechanisms were elicited by the biostimulant treatment, supporting the increased resilience to drought stress in tomato.

Water Stress Alleviation Effects of Biostimulants on Greenhouse-Grown Tomato Fruit

“…The use of biostimulants in tomato crops is becoming popular, since positive results have been observed in terms of yield and fruit quality, especially under abiotic stress conditions, where plants showed increased resilience [28][29][30][31][32]. For example, the foliar application of a plant-based biostimulant containing flavonoids and organic acids on tomato plants grown under stress conditions showed protective effects on the functions of the photosynthetic machinery [33]. Francesca et al [34] also suggested the promoting effects of protein hydrolysates on hormonal biosynthesis in tomato plants grown subjected to heat, drought or combined stress.…”

Role of biostimulants in mitigating the effects of climate change on crop performance

“…High-throughput omics tools, including phenomics, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and multi-omics approaches (Sahoo et al, 2022), can provide unique opportunities for precise decoding of the mode of action of BSts on the crop. For instance, Sudiro et al (2022) performed phenomics investigations coupled with mass spectrometric untargeted metabolomics to unravel the mechanism behind drought tolerance through foliar applications of 4-Vita in tomatoes. A series of coordinated biochemical mechanisms could be detected in retort to the BSt treatment under drought conditions, including the modulation of thylakoid membrane lipids, the enhancement in the level of xanthins involved in ROS detoxification, and the chlorophyll synthesis supporting the high resilience of tomato to drought stress.…”

Metabolomics-Driven Mining of Metabolite Resources: Applications and Prospects for Improving Vegetable Crops

“…Metabolomics analysis together with RNA-seq has led to the revelation that TDR4 silenced tomatine accumulation, while tyrosine, phenylalanine and organic acids were reduced in tomato [ 128 ]. Phenomics investigations coupled with MS-based metabolomics of bio stimulant 4-VITA treated tomato plants showed the effective elicitation of secondary metabolic pathways including the biosynthesis of phytohormones, thylakoid lipids, xanthins and chlorophyll [ 129 ]. A coordinated reprogramming of biosynthetic pathways enhances tomato plant resilience against drought stress.…”