Potential elicitors on secondary metabolite production and antioxidant defence activity of two tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em> L.) varieties

Abstract

Plants protect themselves, after pathogen attack, through the passive and active defense mechanisms. The treatment of plants with various agents, including cell wall fragments, plant extracts, and synthetic chemicals, can induce resistance to subsequent pathogen attack both locally and systemically. In view of the capability of phytochemicals compounds found in fruits and vegetables with different proven health benefits to consumers, there are different strategies to enhance the concentration of these compounds, among which the use of elicitors. Elicitation has been used to trigger different defense responses in plants, which lead to different mechanisms, such as activation of enzymes related with secondary metabolism. In this study we investigated the effects of elicitors (Activane®, Micobiol®, Stemicol® in doses of 1.8 g L⁻¹, 3 m L⁻¹ and 2.5 g·L⁻¹) on the activity of two enzymes (polyphenoloxydase and peroxidase) in leaves as well as on the bioactive content (DPPH scavenging activity, total phenol and total flavonoid content) in fruits of Solanum lycopersicumL. The elicitors studied affected the production of enzyme and antioxidant activities in tomato, though showed a variable influence on the production of total phenolic and flavonoid content in tomato fruits. In general, the elicitors are able to increase polyphenoloxydase activity in leaves and phytochemical properties in fruits, with a significant negative correlation between the DPPH scavenging activity, total phenolic and flavonoids. These findings provide positive directions for the possible use of these elicitors in tomato (‘Bola’ and ‘Saladette’) production in greenhouse.&#x0D; Highlights&#x0D; - Elicitors increase the enzymatic activity of PPO in tomato leaves. &#x0D; - The production of total phenolic contents and flavonoids depends on type of elicitors.&#x0D; - No effects on the peroxidase content of the tomato leaves.&#x0D; - The antioxidant capacity of the aqueous fruits extract showed a significant difference (P = 0.05) between the treatments in the Saladette variety.&#x0D; - Positive relationship between total phenolic contents and flavonoids.

Extension of Quality and Shelf Life of Tomatoes Using Chitosan Coating Incorporated with Cinnamon Oil

“…However, the continuous decrease in AsA during storage might be linked to the senescence process of tomatoes. TPC are important secondary metabolites in tomatoes; next to AsA, TPC possesses crucial natural antioxidant properties and plays a significant role in offering a variety of health benefits [68,69]. The present study exhibited continuous increments in the TPC level in all the tested samples throughout the storage (Figure 6B).…”

The Impact of Elicitation on Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production, Enzymatic and Antioxidant Activity in Nuevo León, Mexico

“…The leave samples collected from each treatment were used to evaluate enzymatic and antioxidant activity in the potato plant at 21, 43 and 65 days, respectively. Cham et al (2021) procedure was used to obtain the leave extracts. For this, a total of 1.0 g of leaves from each sample collected was weighed on an electronic balance, followed by homogenization with 5 mL of 0.1 M phosphate buffer, and the pH was 7.0.…”

“…The absorbance was recorded at 420 nm for the reaction; a UV spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance. The polyphenol oxidase activity was expressed in units per g -1 of fresh tissue (U g -1 fw) (Gasull and Becerra 2006;Cham et al 2021).…”

“…Using elicitors has shown a high priority as an alternative to producing bioactive compounds, enzymes and secondary metabolites for growth, development, and defence in different crop cultivars (Serrano-Cervantes et al 2016;Cham et al 2022). Enzymes are protein molecules that speed up the chemical reactions in the plant, reducing the activation energy so that the roots can absorb nutrients more quickly and easily (Ramírez and Aceves 2014).…”

“…Enzymes are protein molecules that speed up the chemical reactions in the plant, reducing the activation energy so that the roots can absorb nutrients more quickly and easily (Ramírez and Aceves 2014). Previously, only a few studies have reported using elicitors to improve growth and production and trigger different plant defences (Mandal et al 2013;Garcia andZavala-Garcia 2018: Cham et al 2021;Cham et al 2022). Research carried out in butterhead lettuce showed that the effect of elicitation depended on several factors, including the time of application and type of elicitor, and that the main effect was observed on polyphenols and carotenoid concentration (Moreno-Escamilla et al 2020;Giri and Giri 2022).…”