Controlling water deficiency as an abiotic stress factor to improve tomato nutritional and flavour quality

Exogenous silicon applied at appropriate concentrations is effective at improving tomato nutritional and flavor qualities

“…Tomatoes with a bitter flavor probably have lower contents of soluble sugars and higher contents of organic acids. The lighter flavor of tomatoes is due to their lower organic acid content, whereas tomatoes with higher soluble sugar and organic acid contents taste better ( Jin et al, 2023 ). In this study, the ratio of soluble sugars to organic acid components in tomato fruits was significantly higher with T2 treatment (19.21%) than in the CON.…”

“…Polyphenols have various biological functions in plants and are involved in the response to various biotic and abiotic stressors. They are also widely found in plants ( Jin et al, 2023 ). Increased polyphenol contents in strawberry fruits were observed when silicate was sprayed on strawberry leaves ( Xu, Zhang, Li, Liao, Sun & Liu, 2023 ).…”

“…These mineral elements have an important effect on plants and are indispensable in the human diet. Fe is an essential micronutrient because it is a vital component of hemoglobin, various enzymes, and the immune system ( Jin et al, 2023 ). Si also regulates the ferric reductase gene, Fe carrier protein, to increase Fe uptake in the soil by the plant, which is in agreement with our findings that tomato fruit Fe content increased somewhat due to the application of Si ( Kabir, Hossain, Khatun, Mandal & Haider, 2016 ).…”

“…Organic acids in tomato fruits were determined according to the method ( Jin et al, 2023 ) described. The fresh tomato sample was homogenized, and 0.5 g was weighed in a 50 mL volumetric flask, volume-determined to 25 mL with ultrapure water, and shaken well.…”

“…The sugar components in tomato fruits were determined according to the method described by Jin ( Jin et al, 2023 ). Sugar components were determined at the red ripening stage of tomatoes.…”