Abstract
The ‘de penjar’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a group of local varieties from the Spanish Mediterranean region carrying the alc mutation, which provides long shelf-life. Their evolution under low-input management practices has led to the selection of resilient genotypes to adverse conditions. Here we present the first evaluation on nutritional fruit composition of a collection of 44 varieties of ‘de penjar’ tomato under two N fertilization levels, provided by doses of manure equivalent to 162 kg N ha–1 in the high N treatment and 49 kg N ha–1 in the low N treatment. Twenty-seven fruit composition and quality traits, as well as plant yield and SPAD value, were evaluated. A large variation was observed, with lycopene being the composition trait with the highest relative range of variation (over 4-fold) under both N treatments, and significant differences among varieties were detected for all traits. While yield and most quality traits were not affected by the reduction in N fertilization, fruits from the low N treatment had, on average, higher values for hue (5.9%) and lower for fructose (−11.5%), glucose (−15.8%), and total sweetness index (−12.9%). In addition, lycopene and β-carotene presented a strongly significant genotype × N input interaction. Local varieties had higher values than commercial varieties for traits related to the ratio of sweetness to acidity and for vitamin C, which reinforces the appreciation for their organoleptic and nutritional quality. Highest-yielding varieties under both conditions displayed wide variation in the composition and quality profiles, which may allow the selection of specific ideotypes with high quality under low N conditions. These results revealed the potential of ‘de penjar’ varieties as a genetic resource in breeding for low N inputs and improving the organoleptic and nutritional tomato fruit quality.
Highlights
Use of nitrogen (N)-enriched fertilizers has sharply escalated since the Green Revolution and has allowed dramatic increases in crop yields
One field plot was submitted to a N fertilization dose of 162 kg N ha−1, equivalent to the levels commonly provided in the cultivation of ‘de penjar’ tomato (Seda and Muñoz, 2011)
For the other field plot, a dose of 49 kg of N ha−1 (i.e., 30.2% of the high N fertilization treatment (HN)) was applied. This dose has been considered in the present work as low N fertilization treatment (LN)
Summary
Use of nitrogen (N)-enriched fertilizers has sharply escalated since the Green Revolution and has allowed dramatic increases in crop yields. The current environmental situation has prompted research studies to understand the effects of decreasing N inputs on different crops and the development of new varieties with improved N use efficiency. Studies about the N supply effects on tomato showed that yield increased with N fertilization until a certain level, above which N had no longer a positive effect on yield, and even decreased it (Elia and Conversa, 2012; Djidonou et al, 2013). Controversial responses to low N inputs are reported regarding tomato fruit quality (De Pascale et al, 2016; Truffault et al, 2019; Hernández et al, 2020)
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