Effects of Genotype, Storage Temperature and Time on Quality and Compositional Traits of Cherry Tomato

Phytosanitary cold treatment of cherry tomatoes infested with Bactrocera dorsalis, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, and Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Fruit flies attack numerous crops, including cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme). The potential presence of the immature stages of fruit fly species inside tomatoes during export hinders their international market access. Therefore, phytosanitary treatment must be performed before export to prevent fruit fly species from entering countries where they are not naturally found. We developed a phytosanitary cold disinfestation treatment protocol to eliminate oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel), melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae Coquillett), and pumpkin fruit fly (Zeugodacus tau Walker) concealed inside cherry tomatoes without causing critical damage to the fruit. We determined that the third instar of Z. cucurbitae exhibited the highest cold tolerance among the various development stages of the three fruit fly species. Thus, we performed a small-scale disinfestation test on Z. cucurbitae in two cultivars of tomato. We achieved complete disinfestation after 15 days of cold treatment at 1°C-1.5°C. The confirmatory test revealed the elimination of more than 80,000 treated third instar of Z. cucurbitae in each tomato variety. The developed phytosanitary cold treatment allows the tomatoes to retain their commercial value. This study provides a standard phytosanitary cold treatment protocol for cherry tomatoes, ensuring the disinfestation of fruit flies before their export to international markets.

Qualitative Characteristics and Functional Properties of Cherry Tomato under Soilless Culture Depending on Rootstock Variety, Harvesting Time and Bunch Portion

Tomato grafting is an effective practice in increasing the profitability of fresh-market tomato cultivation, especially in greenhouses, and is also considered a strategy for enhancing fruit quality. In this study, selected quanti-qualitative traits, and the of bioactive health-promoting compound and organic acid contents of cherry tomato fruits from three different scion/rootstock combinations (Sunstream/Top Bental, Sunstream/Kaiser and Sunstream/Suzuka) grown under a greenhouse hydroponic system were evaluated in three different harvests (beginning, middle and end of the whole harvesting period) and on three different bunch portions (proximal, central and distal). Although the tomato productive performance was influenced by the rootstock, with Suzuka and Kaiser grafted plants showing the highest total marketable yield (9.8 kg plant-1, i.e., 20% more than Top Bental), the yield-related traits (bunch number, weight and length per plant, and fruit number per bunch) and the qualitative characteristics of the fruits (color, equatorial and polar diameters, dry matter and solid soluble contents, pH and titratable acidity) showed less variability, by displaying, along with the bioactive compound contents (total polyphenols, lycopene, β-carotene), DPPH free radical scavenging activity and organic acids contents (lactic and acetic), a significant effect of the harvesting time and bunch portion. Fruits from the beginning of the harvesting period showed better qualitative and functional properties, with the lycopene and β-carotene contents equal to 178.6 and 3 mg 100 g-1 fw, and fruits from proximal and central bunch portions had lycopene and β-carotene contents equal to 203.1 and 2.9 mg 100 g-1 fw.

Moisture loss inhibition with biopolymer films for preservation of fruits and vegetables: A review

In cold storage, fruits and vegetables still keep a low respiratory rate. Although cold storage is beneficial to maintain the quality of some fruits and vegetables, several factors (temperature and humidity fluctuations, heat inflow, air velocity, light, etc.) will accelerate moisture loss. Biopolymer films have attracted great attention for fruits and vegetables preservation because of their biodegradable and barrier properties. However, there is still a certain amount of water transfer occurring between storage environment/biopolymer films/fruits and vegetables (EFF). The effect of biopolymer films to inhibit moisture loss of fruits and vegetables and the water transfer mechanism in EFF system need to be studied systematically. Therefore, the moisture loss of fruits and vegetables, crucial properties, major components, fabrication methods, and formation mechanisms of biopolymer films were reviewed. Further, this study highlights the EFF system, responses of fruits and vegetables, and water transfer in EFF. This work aims to clarify the characteristics of EFF members, their influence on each other, and water transfer, which is conducive to improving the preservation efficiency of fruits and vegetables purposefully in future studies. In addition, the prospects of studies in EFF systems are shown.

Quality Traits and Nutritional Components of Cherry Tomato in Relation to the Harvesting Period, Storage Duration and Fruit Position in the Truss

It is well known that the harvesting period and the storage duration have a significant effect on the quality characteristics of cherry tomato fruits. On the other hand, the effect of the fruit position in the truss has not been studied, as well as the relative contribution of each one of these factors on fruit quality. For this purpose, cherry tomato (Genio F1) whole trusses were harvested at the fruit red ripe stage during three periods. At each harvesting period, the first four (at the base of the truss) and the last four (at the top) fruits from each truss that was previously trimmed to 10 fruits, were stored at 12 °C for 0, 4 and 10 days. At the end of each storage duration, the external color, firmness, antioxidant capacity, pH and titratable acidity, as well as dry matter, soluble solid, total soluble phenol, lycopene, total carotenoid and β-carotene content, were determined. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the harvesting period had the most significant effect on skin color parameters L * and C * and β-carotene, as well as on antioxidant capacity, total soluble phenols, dry matter and total soluble solids, while it also had an appreciable effect on titratable acidity. The storage duration had a dominant effect on firmness, total carotenoids and lycopene, while it had an appreciable effect on skin color parameter L * as well. On the other hand, the fruit position in the truss exerted an exclusive effect on h^o and a */b * ratio skin color parameters and pH and an appreciable effect on titratable acidity.

Can Microbial Consortium Applications Affect Yield and Quality of Conventionally Managed Processing Tomato?

Three commercial microbial-based biostimulants containing fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizae and Trichoderma spp.) and other microrganisms (plant growth-promoting bacteria and yeasts) were applied on a processing tomato crop in a two-year field experiment in southern Italy. The effects of the growing season and the microorganism-based treatments on the yield, technological traits and functional quality of the tomato fruits were assessed. The year of cultivation affected yield (with a lower fruit weight, higher marketable to total yield ratio and higher percentage of total defective fruits in 2020) and technological components (higher dry matter, titratable acidity, total soluble solids content in 2020). During the first year of the trial, the consortia-based treatments enhanced the soluble solids content (+10.02%) compared to the untreated tomato plants. The sucrose and lycopene content were affected both by the microbial treatments and the growing season (greater values found in 2021 with respect to 2020). The year factor also significantly affected the metabolite content, except for tyrosine, essential (EAA) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Over the two years of the field trial, FID-consortium enhanced the content of proteins (+53.71%), alanine (+16.55%), aspartic acid (+31.13%), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (+76.51%), glutamine (+55.17%), glycine (+28.13%), monoethanolamine (MEA) (+19.57%), total amino acids (TAA) (+33.55), EAA (+32.56%) and BCAAs (+45.10%) compared to the control. Our findings highlighted the valuable effect of the FID microbial inoculant in boosting several primary metabolites (proteins and amino acids) in the fruits of the processing tomato crop grown under southern Italian environmental conditions, although no effect on the yield and its components was appreciated.

Scion and Rootstock Differently Influence Growth, Yield and Quality Characteristics of Cherry Tomato

Grafting is a valuable tool for managing problems of tomato soil-borne pathogens and pests, but often generates unpredictable effects on crop yield and product quality. To observe these rootstocks-induced changes, experimental designs including many rootstock-scion combinations are required. To this end, a greenhouse experiment was conducted on 63 graft combinations, involving seven cherry tomato scions grouped in large, medium and small-fruited, and eight rootstocks with different genetic backgrounds (crosses between Solanum lycopersicum and S. habrochaites or S. peruvianum or S. pimpinellifolium, plus an intraspecific hybrid), using ungrafted controls. The response of the graft partners was firstly analyzed individually using the environmental variance (σ²_E), then by grouping them by classes. When analyzed individually, the scion genotype influenced fruit L*, b*, shape index, total soluble solids (TSS) and its ratio with tritatable acidity (TSS/TA), whereas plant growth and yield were unpredictable. After clustering the graft partners, some of these responses were attributable to the imposed classes. The S. habrochaites-derived hybrids maximized plant biomass, unlike the S. pimpinellifolium ones. Both classes reduced fruit biomass in small- and medium-fruited scions (by 11 and 14%, respectively). The S. habrochaites and S. peruvianum hybrids reduced a* and TSS, whereas promoted TA. L-ascorbic acid was reduced by grafting (from -23 to -45%), in the S. pimpinellifolium group too, indicating, even in low vigor rootstocks, a dilution effect worsening this nutraceutical trait of tomatoes.