Abstract
The demand for healthier foods has been increasing worldwide. Associated with this trend, it is crucial to optimize the use of inputs for ensuring the sustainability of production. The fruits of tomato are important sources of minerals, vitamins, and especially of carotenoids such as the lycopene. This carotenoid plays biological activities that are crucial such as the antioxidant function, besides its proven action in the prevention of cancers and degenerative diseases. The irrigation seems to play a fundamental role in the biosynthesis of lycopene. Thus, it is fundamental to establish levels of irrigation that might provide higher content of lycopene, productivity, and efficiency in the use of water in the production of tomato. The objective of this study was to establish adequate levels of irrigation for the obtainment of higher content of lycopene, productivity of fruits, and higher efficiency in the use of water in the production of salad tomato. For this, two experiments were carried in different cropping seasons. The treatments consisted of the application of four irrigation depths, corresponding to 50, 100, 150 and 200% of the tomato evapotranspiration. The estimates of maximum productivity corresponded to the application of the irrigation depth of 112% ETc, while the maximum content of lycopene and the higher efficiency in the use of water corresponded to 50% ETc. The irrigation depth of 100% ETc is recommended as the best irrigation depth to obtain higher content of lycopene, productivity, and efficiency in the use of water jointly.
Highlights
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), is worldwide one of the most important vegetables in terms of fresh consumption and in industrialized forms
The antioxidant activity related to the consumption of tomato stems from the presence of components on its fruits such as Vitamin C, carotenoids as β-carotene and lycopene, besides phytonutrients such as flavonoids (Pernice et al, 2010; Perveen et al, 2015)
The yield of fruits was higher with the application of 112% of the irrigation depth recommended for this crop
Summary
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), is worldwide one of the most important vegetables in terms of fresh consumption and in industrialized forms. The antioxidant activity related to the consumption of tomato stems from the presence of components on its fruits such as Vitamin C, carotenoids as β-carotene and lycopene, besides phytonutrients such as flavonoids (Pernice et al, 2010; Perveen et al, 2015). The lycopene is responsible for the reddish coloration of mature fruits of tomato and represents most of the carotenogenic content on its fruits. This carotenoid has not provitamin A activity, it has a pronounced antioxidant capacity that protects the cell layer against free radicals (Aidoud, Ammouche, Garrido, & Rodriguez, 2014). Several studies have been conducted in order to investigate the antioxidant capacity resulting from the consumption of tomato, and they have associated the consumption of lycopene to the prevention of degenerative diseases, certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases (Caliman et al, 2010; Kong et al, 2010; Perveen et al, 2015)
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