Cherry Tomato Plants Research Articles

AmiRNA Technology Enhances Tomato Disease Resistance by Suppressing Plant-Pathogen Interaction Pathways through Inhibiting TYLCV Replication.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus disease has seriously threatened the quality and yield of tomatoes. In this study, we investigated the role of amiRNA technology in disease resistance in tomatoes (cherry tomato and large-fruited tomato) and analyzed the physiological and molecular mechanisms of disease resistance in transgenic plants. TYLCV contains six functional genes, of which the C1, C2, and V1 genes have more phosphorylation sites and glycosylation sites, and the protein structure is more complex. The virus replication was inhibited, the peroxidation of membrane lipids was reduced, and disease resistance was enhanced in all transgenic cherry tomato (J6) plants in which the C1, C2, and V1 genes were silenced, respectively. Similarly, silencing of the C1 gene enhanced disease resistance in large-fruited tomatoes. In conclusion, amiRNA technology hinders viral replication, leading to reduced activity of the tomato plant-pathogen interaction pathway and weakening tomato-virus interactions, thereby improving disease resistance.

Influence of Different Nitrogen Concentrations on Growth, Yield, and Yield Attributes of Hydroponically Grown Cherry Tomato

This scientific study aimed to determine the optimal nitrogen concentration within a hydroponic solution for the Rosa variety of cherry tomato plants cultivated in a controlled greenhouse environment. The study was conducted over a period of October 2019 to April 2021. Various treatments were administered, each with distinct nitrogen concentrations, to evaluate their effects on plant growth, yield, and yield-attributing characteristics. The results unequivocally demonstrated that the application of 8 mmol/L of nitrogen (T3) emerged as the most efficacious treatment for optimizing the growth, yield, and yield-attributing characteristics of the cherry tomato plants. These findings hold significant implications for refining nitrogen management practices in horticultural crop production, particularly for the Rosa variety of cherry tomatoes, within controlled greenhouse settings.

Single or Blended Application of Non-Microbial Plant-Based Biostimulants and Trichoderma atroviride as a New Strategy to Enhance Greenhouse Cherry Tomato Performance.

The need to increase yield and enhance the sustainability of crop production systems has led to the development and employment of natural products, such as plant biostimulants. In recent years, a number of reports have researched the effects of biostimulants on plant performance; however, few studies have focused on the mutual application of microbial and/or non-microbial biostimulants. This research, conducted in the framework of the SO.MI.PR.O.N regional project, aimed to investigate the single or mutual application of three biostimulants, a tropical plant extract (PE), a vegetal protein hydrolysate (PH), and Trichoderma atroviride, on 'Creativo' F1 cherry tomato plants cultivated during two growing cycles (2022-2023 and 2023-2024). Our results showed that plants treated with the combination Tricho + PE + PH had statistically significant higher fresh shoot biomass (+64.2%, 1647.0 g plant-1), total fruit production (+37.9%, 1902.5 g plant-1), marketable fruit production (+52.9%, 1778.5 g plant-1), and average weight of marketable fruits (+53.1%, 17.0 g) compared to control plants (untreated plants). Furthermore, biostimulant treatments, especially T. atroviride, variably enhanced cherry tomato fruits' qualitative traits, such as firmness, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, lycopene, and total polyphenols compared to control plants. Overall, the best combinations to increase tomato fruit qualitative features were PE + PH, Tricho + PE, and Tricho + PH. From an economic point of view, the best treatment for achieving the highest net return was PE. This study underlines that biostimulant features (yield, qualitative aspects, and economic profitability) can be supported through the application of specific biostimulant combinations.

Revealing mechanistic basis of ameliorating detrimental effects of cadmium in cherry tomatoes by exogenous application of melatonin and brassinosteroids

Increased anthropogenic activities over the last decades have led to a gradual increase in cadmium content in the soil, which, due to its high mobility in soil, makes Cd accumulation in plants a serious threat to the health of animals and humans. Plant hormones including melatonin (Mel) and brassinosteroids (BR) are known to provide tolerance against various abiotic stresses. In this work, the role of combined and separate exogenous application of Mel and BR on Cd stress in cherry tomato plants was examined. Cd stress significantly reduced tomato growth by inducing oxidative stress and reduced K+ uptake in roots and shoots. Combined application of Mel and BR reduced detrimental effects of Cd in tomato by (i) reducing Cd accumulation in the shoot; (ii) increasing the activities of different antioxidants (SOD, CAT, APX, GR); (iii) triggering higher expression of genes relating to Cd vacuolar sequestration (Na+/H+ EXCHANGER, SlNHX1; NATURAL RESISTANCE-ASSOCIATED MACROPHAGE PROTEIN 6, SlNRAMP6), and Cd transport and detoxification (HEAVY-METAL-ASSOCIATED 3, SlHMA3; PLANT CADMIUM RESISTANT 2, SlPCR2); and (iv) improving plant K+ homeostasis and contents in root and shoot. The latter trait was associated with the reduced gene expression of K+-permeable outward rectifying channel (SlGORK3), and transcriptional upregulation of high affinity potassium transporter 5 (SIHAK5) under Cd stress. A separate application of Mel and BR showed tissue-specific regulation of tomato growth and Cd tolerance by regulating antioxidant activities, K+ uptake, Cd uptake, and translocation from root to shoot and their endogenous contents. Melatonin per se was more effective in improving Cd tolerance in shoot while beneficial BR effects were more pronounced in roots, and their combined application was effective in both tissues. Taken together, reported results show tissue-specific regulation of Cd tolerance by Mel and BR in cherry tomato plants and demonstrate the efficiency of combined Mel + BR treatment as a practical tool to reduce Cd accumulation and mitigate its negative effects on plant growth.

Iron oxide nanoparticles alleviate salt-alkaline stress and improve growth by modulating antioxidant defense system in cherry tomato

ABSTRACT The integration of nanoparticles (NPs) into agriculture is altering traditional methods, enhancing productivity and sustainability. This study explores the application of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) to mitigate salt-alkaline stress in cherry tomatoes. We investigated FeONPs at three concentrations (FeONP25, FeONP50, FeONP100 mg/kg soil) in pot experiments under non-stress (NS) and salt-alkaline stress (SAS) conditions. SAS conditions decreased biomass and nutrients in untreated plants, a trend reversed by FeONPs. FeONPs treatments significantly boosted pigment levels under SAS, thereby increasing chlorophyll a (10.65–43.05%), chlorophyll b (7.19–41.33%), total chlorophyll (9.84–42.49%), and carotenoids (8.97–36.09%) compared to the control. FeONPs also reduced NPQ under stress, indicating enhanced photosynthetic efficiency. Oxidative stress markers (H2O2, O₂−, and MDA) were strongly induced in control plants but significantly declined with FeONPs treatments. Antioxidants and osmoregulatory substances significantly improved with FeONPs, thereby demonstrating their potential to alleviate SAS in cherry tomato plants.

The Effect of Saltwater Stress on the Performance of Cherry Tomatoes

Rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion in aquifers pose significant challenges for South Florida agriculture, leading to increased groundwater salinity and potential crop losses. Utilizing salttolerant crop species presents a potential solution for saline soils and regions with active saltwater intrusion. However, the effects of soil salinization through groundwater alone remains less studied. This research investigates the impact of short-term, below-ground saltwater stress on the growth, survival, and overall health of commonly grown cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). The objectives of the study are to: 1) determine the impact of saline groundwater on tomato plant health and 2) compare the nutrient content of soil and tomato plant tissue exposed to varying concentrations of saline water. Established cherry tomato plants were exposed to varying concentrations of NaCl solution, simulating saltwater intrusion into groundwater. Over 28 days, plant height, leaf chlorophyll levels, and disease occurrences were monitored. It was found that the NaCl treatments did not significantly affect cherry tomato performance under the parameters of height, chlorophyll levels, or leaf nutrition when compared to the control group. This study suggests that cherry tomatoes can tolerate short-term exposure to NaCl in groundwater. Further exploration of more intense salt stress conditions from groundwater could be beneficial for utilizing this crop in areas with saline soils or polluted groundwater. Identification of salt-tolerant cherry tomato varieties can provide alternative crop options for non-arable land affected by high soil salinity.

Effectiveness and Biochemical Impact of Flubendiamide and Flonicamid Insecticides against Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Residue Dissipation in Cherry Tomato Plants and Soil under Greenhouse Conditions

Abstract We investigated the effectiveness and biochemical impact of the insecticides flubendiamide and flonicamid compared with azadirachtin and acetamiprid against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Grennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) infesting cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme L.) grown under greenhouse conditions. The dissipation of both insecticides in the plants and in the soil also was determined using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry methods. Both insecticides were more effective for reducing B. tabaci populations than were either acetamiprid or azadirachtin. Biochemical analysis revealed that esterase may play an important role in whitefly adaptation to flubendiamide and flonicamid. The QuEChERS method was determined suitable for quickly detecting residues of flubendiamide and flonicamid in complex matrices. The recovery rates on tomato fruit samples were 92.8–106.0%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) range of 0.46–2.65%. For soil samples, the recovery rates were 81.3–95.7% with RSDs of 1.20–3.86%. We further determined that flubendiamide had dissipation half-lives of 3.13, 3.63, and 3.68 d in tomato fruit, tomato leaves, and soil, respectively. Flonicamid had half-lives of 4.25, 3.54, and 2.60 d in fruit, leaves, and soil, respectively. These results suggest that preharvest intervals of 3 and 7 d are appropriate for flubendiamide and flonicamid, respectively, in cherry tomato production. The risk quotient was >1 by the day 5 after application; however, that value declined to <1 on day 7 after application, indicating little long-term risk to human health.

RESPON PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TOMAT CERI PADA BERBAGAI MEDIA TANAM DI LAHAN HOLTIKULTURA, GRESIK

Cherry tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersium Mill) are horticultural crops that are rich in vitamins A and C. Cherry tomatoes are one of the prospective agricultural products in Indonesia and have a higher economic value. Planting media is defined as a place where plants live according to their life requirements. The combination of growing media has an effect on the growth and yield of cherry tomato plants. Charcoal husks or roasted husk charcoal can be used as a planting medium and has light characteristics, namely 0.2 kg per liter of rice, coarse texture so it has high air circulation. Besides charcoal, goat manure husks can also be used as a mixture of planting media. Goat manure contains nitrogen nutrients which are useful during plant growth. The aim of this study was to examine the response and differences in media treatment on the growth of cherry tomatoes. This study used a single factor Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with Goat Manure, Husk and soil as the medium which resulted in 7 treatments. Each treatment was repeated four (4) times, so that 28 experimental units were obtained, there were 224 plants. Obtained observational data will be analyzed using Analysis of Variance (Anova). If there is a significant difference, it will be continued with the 5% BNT Advanced Test. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the application of various growing media on the growth and yield of cherry tomato plants.

Efficacy of Seed-Biopriming with Trichoderma spp. and Foliar Spraying of ZnO-Nanoparticles Induce Cherry Tomato Growth and Resistance to Fusarium Wilt Disease.

Several microbes that cause plant diseases drastically lower the production of agriculture and jeopardize the safety of the world's food supply. As a result, sustainable agriculture requires disease management tactics based on modern, eco-friendly techniques as alternatives to various agrochemicals. The current study aimed to assess the antifungal activity of ZnO-nanoparticles against Fusarium solani in-vitro, and the ability of two antagonistic Trichoderma isolates, Trichoderma viride and Trichoderma harzianum, to produce antifungal secondary metabolites and identify them using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and to evaluate the combined effects of foliar spray of ZnO-nanoparticles and bioprimed seeds of cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) with two antagonistic Trichoderma isolates against Fusarium wilt disease caused by Fusarium solani in greenhouse conditions. The results revealed that, in-vitro, the highest concentration of ZnO nanoparticles (3000 ppm) resulted in the greatest decrease in Fusarium solani mycelial growth (90.91% inhibition). The scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the evident distortion in Fusarium solani growing mycelia treated with ZnO-nanoparticles, which might be the source of growth suppression. Additionally, twenty-eight bioactive chemical compounds were isolated and identified from Trichoderma spp. ethyl acetate crude extracts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In a greenhouse experiment, the combination of bioprimed cherry tomato plants with Trichoderma harzianum and foliar spraying of ZnO-nanoparticles at 3000 ppm was the most effective interaction treatment for reducing disease severity index (23.4%) and improving the vegetative growth parameters, micronutrient contents (Mn, Zn, and Fe in leaves), and chlorophyll content (SPAD unit), as well as stimulating phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity of cherry tomato leaves at 75 days after sowing. In conclusion, the antifungal potential of seed-biopriming with antagonistic Trichoderma isolates and the foliar spraying of ZnO-nanoparticles can boost cherry tomato growth and confer resistance to Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium solani.

CHERRY TOMATO CULTIVATION UNDER DIFFERENT LEVELS OF IRRIGATION WATER SALINITY AND ROOT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The use of saline water is a challenge of modern agriculture since the use of this type water reduces crop quality and yield. From this perspective, this study aimed to analyze the performance of cherry tomato under different levels of irrigation water salinity and partial root-zone irrigation. The experiment was conducted in a plant nursery at the Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Campus of the Federal University of Alagoas, in Rio Largo, Alagoas, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement corresponding to four levels of irrigation water salinity (0.5 (control), 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 dS m-¹) and two root management systems (with and without root system division), with five replications. The plants were evaluated for growth, dry mass accumulation, and yield. The irrigation water salinity of 3.5 dS m-1 intensely reduces the plant height, number of fruits, and shoot dry mass of cherry tomato. The shoot fresh mass of cherry tomato was reduced by with root system division. However, this treatment increased the plant height and the number of fruits per plant. Root system division in cherry tomato plants mitigates the deleterious effects of irrigation water salinity up to the electrical conductivity of 1.5 dS m-1, especially on the fruit mass per plant.

Response of Physicochemical Properties and Enzyme Activities in Rhizosphere Soil to Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Disease of Cherry Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esulentum </i>Mill.)

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus disease (TYLCVD) has become a devastating disease, which seriously threatens the healthy development of tomato industry in China. Creating a healthy soil environment may be the key to success in preventing TYLCVD. Field investigation and laboratory analysis were used to evaluate the response characteristics of macro elements, medium elements, micro elements and enzyme activities in the rhizosphere soil of cherry tomato to TYLCVD. The main objective of this study was to determine the suitable soil environment for the healthy survival of cherry tomato. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere of healthy and diseased plants. The results showed that the occurrence of TYLCVD was related to the enzyme activities, pH value, macro elements N, P, K, medium elements Ca, Mg, S and micro elements Mn, Zn, Cu, Si in the rhizosphere soil of cherry tomato. Compared with healthy plants, the activities of urease, catalase and acid phosphatase were significantly decreased by 48.6%–77.4%, 23.7%–43.8% and 19.1%–31.0%, respectively, in rhizosphere soil of diseased cherry tomato plants (<I>P</I> < 0.05). The pH value, contents of alkaline hydrolysis N, available Mg, available S, available Mn, available Zn, available Cu and available Si in rhizosphere soil of diseased plants were significantly lower than those in healthy plants (<I>P</I> < 0.05). The pH value in rhizosphere soil of diseased plants was 0.18-0.25 units lower than that of healthy plants. And the contents of alkaline hydrolysis N, available Mg, available S, available Mn, available Zn, available Cu and available Si were reduced by 5.54%–20.0%, 29.7%–73.9%, 27.3%–48.8%, 6.95%–10.1%, 13.6%–-15.2%, 10.6%–25.0% and 4.97%-8.30%, respectively. However, the contents of available P, available K and available Ca in rhizosphere soil of diseased plants were significantly higher than those in healthy plants (<I>P</I> < 0.05), were increased by 3.77%–41.2%, 6.75%–37.4% and 16.7%–50.5%, respectively. Our findings improve our understanding of the links between the occurrence of TYLCVD and the soil environment, which have implications for developing strategies for the prevention of tomato yellow leaf curl virus disease.

Effect of polypropylene microplastics on seed germination and nutrient uptake of tomato and cherry tomato plants

Although microplastic (MP) pollution in farmland increased, the effect of MPs on plant growth was not clearly explained. Therefore, the object of the study was to evaluate the effect of polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) on plant germination, growth, and nutrient uptake under hydroponic conditions. The effect of PP-MPs on seed germination, shoot and root length, and nutrient uptake were assessed using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) seeds grown in half-strength Hoagland solution. The results showed that PP-MPs did not significantly affect seed germination, but positively affected the shoot and root elongation. In cherry tomato, the root elongation was significantly increased by 34%. Microplastics also affected nutrient uptake by plants, however, the effect varied depending on elements and plant species. The Cu concentration was substantially increased in tomato shoot while it decreased in cherry tomato root. Nitrogen uptake decreased in MP treated plants compared to the control and phosphorus uptake was significantly decreased in the shoot of cherry tomato. However, the root-to-shoot translocation rate of most macro nutrients decreased following exposure to PP-MPs indicating that long-term exposure to MPs may lead to a nutritional imbalance in plants.

MTA-YOLACT: Multitask-aware network on fruit bunch identification for cherry tomato robotic harvesting

Accurate and rapid perception of fruit bunch posture is necessary for the cherry tomato harvesting robot to successfully achieve the bunch’s holding and separating. According to the postural relationship of the fruit bunch, bunch pedicel, and plant’ main-stem, the robotic end-effector’s holding region and approach path could be determined, which were important for successful picking operation. The main goal of this research was to propose a multitask-aware network (MTA-YOLACT), which simultaneously performed region detection on fruit bunch, and region segmentation on pedicel and main-stem. The MTA-YOLACT extended from the pre-trained YOLACT model, included two detector branch networks for detection and instance segment, which shared the same backbone network, and the loss function with weighting coefficients of the two branches was adopted to balance the multi-task learning, according to multi-task’s homoscedastic uncertainty during the model training. Furthermore, in order to cluster the fruit bunch, pedicel and main-stem from the same bunch target, a classification and regression tree (CART) model was built, based on the region’s positional relationship from the MTA-YOLACT output. An image dataset of cherry tomato plants in China greenhouse was built to training and test the model. The results indicated a promising performance of the proposed network, with an F1-score of 95.4% on detecting fruit bunches and the mean Average Precision of 38.7% and 51.9% on the instance segmentation of pedicel and main-stem, which was 1.1% and 3.5% more than original YOLACT. Beyond that, our approach performed a real-time detection and instance segmentation of 13.3 frames per second (FPS). The whole bunch could be identified by the CART model with an average accuracy of 99.83% and the time cost of 9.53 ms. These results demonstrated the research could be a viable support to the harvesting robot’s vision unit development and the end-effector’s motion planning in the future research.

Tomateiro cereja ornamental em diferentes ambientes protegidos e materiais refletores em bancada de cultivo

ABSTRACT The study aimed to evaluate the growth of ornamental cherry tomato plants in different protected environments and reflective materials on the cultivation benches. As there were no repetitions of the protected environments, each environment was considered an experiment. In each environment, the experimental design used was completely randomized with five replications and three plants per plot. From the analysis of individual variances and evaluation of the mean squares of residues smaller than seven, the joint analysis of variance was performed (three protected environments x three reflective materials on the cultivation bench + 1 control without material). The protected environments evaluated were the agricultural greenhouse with a screen of 42-50% shading under the film, the agricultural screenhouse with a black screen of 30% shading, and the agricultural screenhouse with an aluminized screen of 35% shading. The reflective materials on the cultivation bench were Aluminet®, white Formica laminate, and red Formica laminate. The different protected environments influenced the growth of plants, and due to the lower incident light, the plants showed greater height in the agricultural greenhouse (42-50% shading). The reflective benches did not interfere with plant height but favored fruit production. The agricultural greenhouse (42-50% shading)) stands among the environments. For the reflective materials on the bench, aluminized fabric and red Formica laminate stood out, as they favored the growth of cherry tomato plants with desirable ornamental traits, such as greater fruit production.

A Food Waste-Derived Organic Liquid Fertiliser for Sustainable Hydroponic Cultivation of Lettuce, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato.

We previously reported a sustainable food waste management approach to produce an acceptable organic liquid fertiliser for recycling food waste called "FoodLift." This study follows our previous work to evaluate the macronutrients and cation concentrations in harvested structural parts of lettuce, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes produced using food waste-derived liquid fertiliser (FoodLift) and compare them against commercial liquid fertiliser (CLF) under hydroponic conditions. N and P concentrations in the structural parts of lettuce and the fruit and plant structural parts of cucumber appear to be similar between FoodLift and CLF (p > 0.05), with significantly different N concentrations in the various parts of cherry tomato plants (p < 0.05). For lettuce, N and P content varied from 50 to 260 g/kg and 11 to 88 g/kg, respectively. For cucumber and cherry tomato plants, N and P concentrations ranged from 1 to 36 g/kg and 4 to 33 g/kg, respectively. FoodLift was not effective as a nutrient source for growing cherry tomatoes. Moreover, the cation (K, Ca, and Mg) concentrations appear to significantly differ between FoodLift and CLF grown plants (p < 0.05). For example, for cucumber, Ca content varied from 2 to 18 g/kg for FoodLift grown plants while Ca in CLF-grown cucumber plants ranged from 2 to 28 g/kg. Overall, as suggested in our previous work, FoodLift has the potential to replace CLF in hydroponic systems for lettuce and cucumber. This will lead to sustainable food production, recycling of food waste to produce liquid fertiliser, and will promote a circular economy in nutrient management.

Leaf-based species classification of hybrid cherry tomato plants by using hyperspectral imaging

Approaches based on near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) technology combined with machine learning have been developed to classify the leaves of hybrid cherry tomatoes and then identify the species of hybrid cherry tomato plants. The near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral images of 400 cherry tomato leaves (100 per species) were collected in the wavelength range of 900–1700 nm. Machine learning algorithms such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) were employed to construct leaf classification models with the hyperspectral data preprocessed by Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing filter, first derivative (first Der) and standard normal variate (SNV). Principle of Component Analysis (PCA) was also used to reduce the data dimension and extract spectral features. It is revealed that the LDA model reaches the highest classification accuracy among the three machine learning algorithms and SNV can lead to higher improvement in model accuracy than other preprocessing methods of SG smoothing and first Der. Analysis based on PCA spectral feature extraction demonstrates that differences occur in internal material content in the leaves of cherry tomato plants with different species, which renders the models being able to distinguish between the species. Another important work was performed to reveal the different effects of the mesophyll and vein regions (VR) on the accuracy of the leaf classification model. It is demonstrated that the classification accuracy is improved by a value of 0.033 or 0.042 when mesophyll substitutes vein or whole leaf as regions of interest (ROI) to extract reflectance spectra for modeling. As a result, the accuracy of the training and test set respectively reached a high value of 0.998 and 0.973 for the LDA classification model combined with the SNV preprocessing method. The results propose that the use of mesophyll region (MR) as ROI can improve the performance of the leaf classification model, which provides a new strategy for efficient and non-destructive classification of different hybrid cherry tomato plants.

An original and efficient fertilizer for cherry tomato plants grown in urban agriculture: Feral pigeon guano

AbstractRecently, urban agriculture has spread rapidly in occidental cities taking the form of plant cultivation on the rooftops of urban buildings. In this context, it would be interesting to use a natural fertilizer present in cities like the pigeon (Columba livia) guano. In this study, we tested the effects of pigeon guano on the cherry tomato plant in an urban environment. On a rooftop at Ivry‐sur‐Seine (near Paris, France), we set up 30 cultivation bags (58.9 L volume) with two cherry tomato plants in each bag. In June 2017, we added about 15 g of pigeon guano in 1.5 L of water to each of the 15 “guano” bags and 1.5 L of water to each of the 15 “control” bags. After 15 days, we observed that the tomato plants were higher and tend to have more flowers in the guano treatment than in the control group. Finally, regarding the total number of cherry tomatoes harvested (total mass and number), it was around one to two times higher in the guano treatment than in the control. However, the average mass per fruit was not affected by the treatment. Overall, we showed that pigeon guano is an efficient local fertilizer for cherry tomato plants in urban areas.

Produção de tomate-cereja irrigado utilizando canteiros econômicos com mulching

ABSTRACT Technologies that improve water use efficiency (WUE) and increase crop yields are essential for the development of a responsible and productive agriculture. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate economical planting beds with the use of mulching and application of different irrigation water depths as a water-saving technology, and determine the irrigation water depth that promote the optimal plant development and fruit yield and quality of two cherry tomato cultivars. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada, PE, Brazil. A randomized block experimental design with split-plots (5×2) was used, with plots consisting of five irrigation water depths (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, and 125% of the crop evapotranspiration - ETc) and subplots consisting of two cherry tomato cultivars (Carolina and Yubi), with four replications, totaling 40 experimental units. The development of tomato plants was evaluated through biometric measurements of stem diameter, plant height, and canopy area. Additionally, the following variables were evaluated during fruit harvest: number of fruits, mean fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit yield, WUE, titratable acidity, pH, and soluble solids content. The economical planting beds promoted increases in WUE. Irrigation water depths lower than 100% of ETc resulted in better plant development and higher fruit yield, number of fruits, and WUE for the evaluated cherry tomato plants. The cultivar Carolina exhibited higher production performance compared to Yubi.

Effective Applications of Trichoderma spp. as Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents Mitigate Tomato Fusarium Wilt Disease

Eco-friendly and sustainable plant disease management employing Trichoderma spp. as bioagents is an economically feasible and ecologically sustainable approach. Therefore, their use in agriculture should be encouraged. The two main goals of the present study were to evaluate the abilities of two Trichoderma isolates to prevent Fusarium wilt disease, which is caused by Fusarium solani, in vitro and under greenhouse conditions, as well as their potential as biofertilizers to enhance cherry tomato growth and development. The results of a dual culture test revealed that T. viride and T. harzianum are antagonistic against the F. solani pathogen. The antagonism mechanisms include competition for nutrients and space, mycoparasitism, and antibiosis, according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) findings. Additionally, T. harzianum reduced the mycelial growth of F. solani by 78.0%, whereas T. viride inhibited the growth by 61.2%, 10 days post-inoculation. In a greenhouse experiment, cherry tomato plants treated with each of these antagonistic Trichoderma isolates separately or in combination significantly suppressed Fusarium wilt disease, improved plant growth parameters, increased macro- and micronutrients uptake, and increased the content of photosynthetic pigments and total phenols. In conclusion, effective applications of Trichoderma isolates have the potential to mitigate Fusarium wilt disease, which is caused by F. solani in cherry tomato plants, while simultaneously promoting the growth and development of cherry tomatoes.

Physiological Response, Oxidative Stress Assessment and Aquaporin Genes Expression of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Exposed to Hyper-Harmonized Fullerene Water Complex.

The rapid production and numerous applications of nanomaterials warrant the necessity and importance of examining nanoparticles in terms to their environmental and biological effects and implications. In this study, the effects of a water-soluble hyper-harmonized hydroxyl-modified fullerene (3HFWC) on cherry tomato seed germination, seedlings growth, physiological response and fruiting was evaluated. Changes in the photosynthetic pigments content, oxidative stress assessment, and aquaporin genes expression in cherry tomato plants were studied after during short- and long-term continuous exposure to 3HFWC nanosubstance (200 mg/L). Increased levels of photosynthetic pigments in leaves, lycopene in fruits, decreased levels of hydrogen peroxide content, activation of cellular antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase and increased aquaporin gene expression (PIP1;3, PIP1;5 and PIP2;4) were observed in 3HFWC nanosubstance-exposed plants in comparison to control, untreated cherry tomato plants. The 3HFWC nanosubstance showed positive effects on cherry tomato seed germination, plantlet growth and lycopene content in fruits and may be considered as a promising nanofertilizer.