Abstract
The tomato fruit is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, the levels of which can vary over time in response to biotic and abiotic factors, including the application of elicitors. We investigated the effects of foliar spray of methyl jasmonate (MeJ), salicylic acid (SA), nitric oxide (NO), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on tomato plants every 15 days until the end of cultivation. We measured the levels of bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and physiological parameters in three distinct trusses. With the exception of plant length, the elicitors had no effects on physiological parameters, whereas they did have an effect on lycopene content, bioactive compound levels, and antioxidant activity in the three sampled trusses. A strong correlation between bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity was found for the elicitors, particularly MeJ. Our results indicate that certain bioactive compounds and their antioxidant activities vary not only between trusses but also based on the specific elicitor used.
Highlights
The tomato is one of the most widely grown fruits worldwide, known for its economic significance and nutritional properties
Salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJ) [14], hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitric oxide (NO) [15] are molecules known to elicit a wide variety of plants, such as alfalfa, broccoli, tomato, and pepper, and these molecules act by inducing the expression of genes to activate bioactive compounds (BCs) biosynthesis [14]
The plants elicited with SA and H2O2 showed 112 and 73% more lycopene, respectively, in the tomato fruit in the first truss compared with the control (P ≤ 0.01)
Summary
The tomato is one of the most widely grown fruits worldwide, known for its economic significance and nutritional properties. The tomato has been intensively studied due to its high levels of molecules with antioxidant activity (AA), such as carotenoids, phenols, and flavonoids [1, 2]. Environmental factors affect the AA [9], UV light induces the accumulation of flavonoids and other phenols [10], and lycopene synthesis is severely inhibited by intense solar radiation and high temperatures [9, 11]. Some studies have shown monthly variability in the AA and in the content of phenol compounds, lycopene, and β-carotene, in the tomato fruit [12, 13]. The plant will respond according to the nature, doses, frequency of application, and place of implementation of the elicitor, possibly activating some BCs but deleting others [14] or even affecting the basic functions of primary metabolism, such as photosynthesis [16]
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