Effect of Water Stress and Rehydration on the Cluster and Fruit Quality of Greenhouse Tomatoes

Abstract

The water needs for tomato crops are very high and could limit the viability of cultivation in semiarid environments. There is no agreement among works on irrigation regarding the sensibility of the flowering period. In addition, there is a lack of studies about the effects of water stress on fruit and cluster development under severe water stress. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of water stress and rehydration during cluster development. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse (Seville, Spain) in two different growth cycles (autumn 2021 and spring 2022) using three different cultivars. Two irrigation treatments were applied: a control, with full irrigated conditions, and severe stress, without irrigation during the development of the fifth cluster (43 days (autumn) and 21 days (spring) after transplantation) followed by rehydration. Plant height was significantly decreased, by approximately 10%, in the irrigation treatment during the autumn cycle, however, not in spring. A delayed cluster emergence occurred, however, the final number per plant at the end of the experiment was the same when rehydration was applied (73 and 56 days after transplanting). In the autumn cycle, only the fruit size was considerably affected, with more than a 50% reduction on some dates, though not in the first cluster. However, the extremely severe water stress during the spring cycle, with strong defoliation, reduced the number (around 50%) and size (around 40%) of the fruit. Total soluble solids increased only on isolated dates of the harvest in the stress plants. The response of cherry cultivars to water stress was similar in terms of quality parameters. Fruit size was the most sensitive yield component, and no recovery was detected at harvest after rehydration. The effect of severe water stress was different depending on the evaporative demand and, more importantly, on fruit size.

Moderate Water Stress Impact on Yield Components of Greenhouse Tomatoes in Relation to Plant Water Status

“…These results were similar for both types of cultivars, although further work is required to clarify the cultivar effect. In most articles about irrigation experiments, the number of fruits was typically less affected by deficit irrigation strategies than the fruit weight, even under more severe water stress conditions and different cultivars than the ones used in the current work [ 11 , 13 , 15 , 21 , 31 ]. The fruit water transport through the xylem has been recently reported to be greater than expected in tomatoes (around 75% via xylem [ 32 ]).…”

Plant diversity as a sustainable strategy for mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses in tomato cultivation

“…Tomato crops have high water requirements, making scarcity a limiting factor that can cause delays in plant development and reduce the number of fruits in clusters (Alomari-Mheidat et al, 2023). There are few studies on how cover crops can contribute to avoiding the impacts of water deficiencies; however, Schomberg et al (2023) mention that they offer a promising solution because they can reduce runoff, enhance infiltration and minimize evaporation which favors water storage and soil moisture conservation.…”

Drought-tolerant lines of Physalis angulata L. improved growth, yield, and water use efficiency in drylands

“…The reproductive stage of fruit crop starts from flowering and need sufficient supply (Fischer et al, 2016). Fruit number was a yield component that was reduced under a high level of water stress (Alomari-Mheidat et al, 2023). Fruit weight was affected by the interaction between the use of lines and water deficit (Figure 1a.).…”