Abstract
The effects of partial root-zone drying (PRD) on tomato fruit growth and proteome in the pericarp of cultivar Ailsa Craig were investigated. The PRD treatment was 70% of water applied to fully irrigated (FI) plants. PRD reduced the fruit number and slightly increased the fruit diameter, whereas the total fruit fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) per plant did not change. Although the growth rate was higher in FI than in PRD fruits, the longer period of cell expansion resulted in bigger PRD fruits. Proteins were extracted from pericarp tissue at two fruit growth stages (15 and 30 days post-anthesis [dpa]), and submitted to proteomic analysis including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry for identification. Proteins related to carbon and amino acid metabolism indicated that slower metabolic flux in PRD fruits may be the cause of a slower growth rate compared to FI fruits. The increase in expression of the proteins related to cell wall, energy, and stress defense could allow PRD fruits to increase the duration of fruit growth compared to FI fruits. Upregulation of some of the antioxidative enzymes during the cell expansion phase of PRD fruits appears to be related to their role in protecting fruits against the mild stress induced by PRD.
Highlights
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the most widely grown fruit in the world
This study showed that tomato plants under 70% partial root-zone drying (PRD) could produce fruits with a larger diameter compared to fully irrigated (FI) fruits, whereas the total fruit fresh and dry weights were similar in both treatment groups
The growth rate was higher in FI than in PRD fruits, the longer period of cell expansion resulted in larger PRD fruits
Summary
Current world production of tomatoes is about 100 million tons of fresh fruit from 3.7 million hectares (ha). An adequate water supply is essential for successful production of this crop, but the water requirements depend on environmental conditions, soil type, and phase of ontogenesis. In tomatoes irrigated under field conditions, the water requirement ranges from 400 to 600 mm ha - 1 (Hanson and May, 2004). As a consequence of global climate change and environmental pollution, water use in agriculture is reduced. Water supplies are under pressure from nonagricultural users, so that saving water resources and increasing agricultural productivity per unit of water (‘‘more crop per drop’’) are becoming of strategic importance for many countries. Considerable emphasis is placed on crop physiology and crop management under dry conditions with the aim of increasing crop water use efficiency (WUE; Costa et al, 2007)
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