Effects of water deficit on leaves and fruit quality during the development period in tomato plant

Abstract

In nature, plants are often exposed to a multitude of environmental constraints that severely limit crop productivity. Water deficit is one of the factors that most affects agricultural production. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of water deficit on morphology, development, nutritional behavior, as well as chlorophyll fluorescence and certain important metabolic parameters (soluble sugars, organic acids, starch, carotenoid, and vitamin C) of the cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv Plovdiv). In this study, the water supply was reduced by 60% compared to control conditions. The conditions of water deficit showed that the size of the different organs (leaves, fruits) was reduced. A reduction in the number, width, and length of the leaves, respectively, 9%, 36%, and 37%, then the leaf surface was also observed. Reduction of fluorescence (Fo, Fm, and Fv) and total index performance were among the other symptoms of plants with water deficiency. For fruit, we observed a significant decrease in diameter, fresh weight, and moisture content during the cell division period, the cell expansion period, and the fruit ripening period. In contrast, the composition of the Plovdiv fruit changed only during cell division and expansion phase. On the other hand, the water deficit induces an increase in the total carotenoid and vitamin C content of the fruits.. Besides, water deficit induced a reduction of fruit size, moisture content, and production dry matter during different phases of development. Decrease levels of soluble sugars and organic acid but increase in vitamin C and carotenoid content.

Genotypic and Environmental Effects on Morpho-Physiological and Agronomic Performances of a Tomato Diversity Panel in Relation to Nitrogen and Water Stress Under Organic Farming

“…While N reduction delayed fruit maturation in most cultivars and at both locations, water deficit had the opposite effect. Previous studies highlighted a shortened ripening period when water stress is applied, reporting an increase in vitamin C and carotenoids when the deficit is applied during the maturation stage ( Ripoll et al, 2016 ; Medyouni et al, 2021 ). In addition, it has been observed that low N content delays fruit development, reducing furthermore the content of sugars, thus impacting negatively the overall quality ( Khan et al, 2015 ).…”

Characterization of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) fruits from plants irrigated with different regimens and calcium doses

“…In cape gooseberry fruits, citric acid constitutes 85% of the organic acids (Novoa et al, 2006). Medyouni et al (2021) reported that, when tomato plants suffered water stress, they reduced water absorption and increased the production of acids in the fruits as a mechanism of adaptation to stress, where ascorbic acid and total carotenoids stand out. A similar result was found for the cape gooseberries in this study and in another study on the tomato (Patané et al, 2011).…”

Distribución de fotoasimilados en los órganos vertederos de plantas Solanaceas, caso tomate y papa. Una revisión

“…Otro factor externo que influye en la relación y la fuerza de los órganos fuente/vertedero, y en la distribución de los fotoasimilados, es el déficit hídrico del suelo, el cual, promueve un estrés de tipo abiótico en las plantas (Rodrigues et al, 2019). El estrés hídrico en las plantas ha sido asociado como uno de los factores ambientales que afecta los rendimientos y el desempeño fisiológico de los cultivos de tomate (Chen et al, 2013;Medyouni et al, 2021;Luo et al, 2021). Una de las respuestas fisiológicas que afecta el estrés hídrico en las plantas es el cierre de las estomas, lo cual, limita la asimilación de CO 2 , disminuye la tasa de carboxilación, la producción de fotoasimilados y en general afecta la relación de órganos fuente/vertedero (Sun et al, 2020).…”