Fruit Nutritional Quality Research Articles

Influence of different storage conditions on strawberry fruit nutritional quality

Influence of different storage conditions on strawberry fruit nutritional quality

Improving Blueberry Fruit Nutritional Quality through Physiological and Genetic Interventions: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions.

Blueberry, hailed as an antioxidant superfood, is the fruit of small shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae). The fruits are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities derived from the polyphenolic compounds, particularly from the abundantly present anthocyanin pigment, have been highlighted as the major contributing factor to the health-benefitting properties of blueberry. In recent years, blueberry cultivation under polytunnels has expanded, with plastic covers designed to offer protection of crop and fruit yield from suboptimal environmental conditions and birds. An important consideration is that the covers reduce photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and filter out ultraviolet (UV) radiation that is critical for the fruit's bioactive composition. Blueberry fruits grown under covers have been reported to have reduced antioxidant capacity as compared to fruits from open fields. In addition to light, abiotic stresses such as salinity, water deficit, and low temperature trigger accumulation of antioxidants. We highlight in this review how interventions such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photo-selective films, and exposure of plants to mild stresses, alongside developing new varieties with desired traits, could be used to optimise the nutritional quality, particularly the content of polyphenols, of blueberry grown under covers.

Knockdown of Sly-miR164a Enhanced Plant Salt Tolerance and Improved Preharvest and Postharvest Fruit Nutrition of Tomato

Salinity stress is a serious limitation to tomato growth and development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Sly-miR164a on tomato growth and fruit nutritional quality under salt stress. The results showed that the root length, fresh weight, plant height, stem diameter and ABA content of miR164a#STTM (knockdown of Sly-miR164a) lines were higher than those of WT and miR164a#OE (overexpression of Sly-miR164a) lines under salt stress. Compared with WT, miR164a#STTM tomato lines exhibited lower ROS accumulation under salt stress. In addition, the fruits of miR164a#STTM tomato lines had higher soluble solids, lycopene, ascorbic acid (ASA) and carotenoid content compared with WT. The study indicated that tomato plants were more sensitive to salt when Sly-miR164a was overexpressed, while knockdown of Sly-miR164a enhanced plant salt tolerance and improved fruit nutritional value.

Foliar Calcium Effects on Quality and Primary and Secondary Metabolites of White-Fleshed ‘Lemonato’ Peaches

‘Lemonato’ is a Greek peach melting-flesh white-flesh cultivar with high nutritional value highly appreciated by the consumers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest foliar calcium application on fruit quality, primary metabolite profile, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and phenolic profile of the ‘Lemonato’ peach, clone ‘Stamatis’. The experiment was conducted for two years, 2019 and 2020, in two commercial orchards at Kato Lehonia and Agios Vlasios regions, central Greece, where the ‘Lemonato’ clone ‘Stamatis’ is traditionally cultivated. The treatments were organic calcium (Ca), calcium–silicate in nanoparticles (Ca–Si), and calcium chloride (CaCl2). Foliar application of the different Ca formulations, commonly used as a horticultural practice, were not effective at improving the fruit quality characteristics in this clone, which is characterized by fruit softening during ripening. The study revealed the sugars and organic acid composition and phenolic profile of the ‘Lemonato’ peach, clone ‘Stamatis’. Peach fruit quality, primary metabolites, and phenolic compounds of the two orchards showed a different response to organic Ca and Ca–Si, indicating that genetic or environmental factors may also be involved. A higher concentration of organic Ca and CaCl2 increased the peach fruit phenolic compounds content and the total antioxidant activity, improving the fruit nutritional quality.

Feeding the world: impacts of elevated [CO2] on nutrient content of greenhouse grown fruit crops and options for future yield gains.

Several long-term studies have provided strong support demonstrating that growing crops under elevated [CO2] can increase photosynthesis and result in an increase in yield, flavour and nutritional content (including but not limited to Vitamins C, E and pro-vitamin A). In the case of tomato, increases in yield by as much as 80% are observed when plants are cultivated at 1000ppm [CO2], which is consistent with current commercial greenhouse production methods in the tomato fruit industry. These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for elevating [CO2] for improving yield and quality in greenhouse crops. The major focus of this review is to bring together 50years of observations evaluating the impact of elevated [CO2] on fruit yield and fruit nutritional quality. In the final section, we consider the need to engineer improvements to photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation to allow plants to take greater advantage of elevated CO2 growth conditions.

Assessment of Genetic Variability for Fruit Nutritional Composition in the Ex-Situ Collection of Jujube (Ziziphus spp.) Genotypes of Arid Regions of India

Jujube or ber (Ziziphus spp.) is one of the most important fruit crops of India’s arid and semi-arid regions because of its high adaptability to resource constraints hot (semi)arid region. Jujube is a rich source of minerals, vitamins and dietary antioxidants to arid zone dwellers, where it is known as poor man’s apple. Given the present rising trends in discovering and exploiting plant-based health-promoting compounds, it is imperative to know the extent of variability with respect to fruit nutritional compositions present in the jujube germplasms. In this study, we assessed genetic variability for fruit nutritional and functional quality traits in eighteen jujube accessions belonging to three species (Z. mauritiana, Z. rotundifolia and Z. oenoplia) from an ex-situ collection from Indian arid and semi-arid regions in two consecutive fruiting seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22). Results revealed significant variability among eighteen jujube genotypes for important fruits physico-biochemical parameters. The IC 625864 (Z. oenoplia) identified as a superior accession for fruit antioxidant potential with having high levels of total phenols (256.2 mg/100 g dry weight) and total antioxidants (423 mg/100 g in FRAP). Moreover, IC 625849 (Z. mauritiana) and IC 625848 (Z. rotundifolia) were other genotypes containing high levels of phenols and total antioxidant (FRAP). Thus, while aiming for simultaneous improvement for total antioxidants with phenols, IC 625848, IC 625849 and IC 625864 genotypes can be considered as valuable resource for jujube fruit quality improvement program. Further, the high levels of phenotypic variance with high genotypic variance coupled with high heritability and genetic advance particularly for total antioxidants, total phenols, and ascorbic acid contents in fruits, indicating them to be considered as reliable biochemical markers to identify the productive genotypes having higher amounts of dietary antioxidants. Depending on the identified genotypes for their richness in the particular phytonutrients, these can be exploited either for table purpose or biofortification of other products, or using in jujube breeding program for quality improvement.

Stability of Strawberry Fruit (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) Nutritional Quality at Different Storage Conditions

Strawberry fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and phenolic compounds, which determine its nutritional properties. Strawberries are a highly perishable non-climacteric fruit, and their perishable nature can lead to physical and chemical damage during storage. Therefore, the large market of fresh fruit relies on the capacity of fast distribution and marketing under a continuous cold-storage chain. In this study, we applied different cold-storage temperatures (domestic −20 °C and industrial −80 °C) on different treatments (whole fruits and dried fruits) of three strawberry cultivars (Arianna, Francesca, and Silvia), for up to seven months, and evaluated the influence of different storage conditions and lengths on the stability of the fruits’ nutritional compounds (vitamin C, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and folate). The results show that the nutritional quality of the fruits was significantly affected by storage temperature (with −80 °C storage preserving more nutritional compounds), while storage time did not greatly affect the composition of the nutritional compounds in the whole or dried fruits. Oven drying the fruits dramatically affected their vitamin C content, almost completely degrading this compound (from 731.8 to 23.2 mg/kg at time 0 for fresh Arianna fruit, the cultivar with the highest amount). The amount of folate was increased during storage (from 126.17 at time 0 to 190.61 µg/kg at time 7 for fresh whole Arianna fruit). The interesting results obtained in this study are worth considering in future studies, to better plan fruit-storage conditions and time, for maintaining better fruit nutritional quality.

SlMYB1 regulates the accumulation of lycopene, fruit shape, and resistance to Botrytis cinerea in tomato.

Fruit lycopene, shape, and resistance are essential traits in vegetables whose final product is fruit, and they are also closely related to and strictly regulated by multiple transcription factors. Lycopene, which cannot be synthesized by the human body and can only be ingested from the outside, was important in maintaining human health. During fruit ripening and post-harvest, tomato plants face a variety of biotic or abiotic stresses, which might inflict great damage to fruit quality due to its flat shape and pointed tip during storage and transportation. Therefore, there is an urgent need for key molecular switches to simultaneously improve fruit lycopene and resistance to biotic stress during ripening. Here, we identified the MYB transcription factor SlMYB1 in tomato plants which could bind to the promoters of lycopene synthesis-related genes, SlLCY1, SlPSY2, and the pathogen-related gene SlPR5 directly, to regulate the fruit lycopene and resistance to Botrytis cinerea in tomato. In addition to regulating lycopene synthesis, SlMYB1 also regulates the content of soluble sugar, soluble protein and flavonoid in tomato. What's more, SlMYB1 could regulate the tomato fruit shape, making it smoother or flatter to prevent skin damage caused by vibration on fruits. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) further showed that SlMYB1 fruit-specific expression lines had multiple differentially expressed genes compared with those from wild-type plants, suggesting that SlMYB1 might have multiple roles in fruit nutritional quality control and resistance to stresses, which is a rare occurrence in previous studies. In summary, our results revealed that SlMYB1 was an essential multi-functional transcription factor that could regulate the lycopene and resistance to Botrytis cinerea, and change the shape of fruit in tomato plants.

Metabolomic analysis on the mechanism of nanoselenium alleviating cadmium stress and improving the pepper nutritional value

Selenium (Se) maintains soil-plant homeostasis in the rhizosphere and regulates signaling molecules to mitigate cadmium (Cd) toxicity. However, there has been no systematic investigation of the effects of nano-selenium (nano-Se) on the regulation of non-target metabolites and nutritional components in pepper plants under Cd stress. This study investigated the effects of Cd-contaminated soil stress and nano-Se (1, 5, and 20mg/L) on the metabolic mechanism, fruit nutritional quality, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) composition of pepper plants. The screening of differential metabolites in roots and fruit showed that most were involved in amino acid metabolism and capsaicin production. Amino acids in roots (Pro, Trp, Arg, and Gln) and fruits (Phe, Glu, Pro, Arg, Trp, and Gln) were dramatically elevated by nano-Se biofortification. The expression of genes of the phenylpropane-branched fatty acid pathway (BCAT, Fat, AT3, HCT, and Kas) was induced by nano-Se (5mg/L), increasing the levels of capsaicin (29.6%), nordihydrocapsaicin (44.2%), and dihydrocapsaicin (45.3%). VOCs (amyl alcohol, linalool oxide, E-2-heptaldehyde, 2-hexenal, ethyl crotonate, and 2-butanone) related to crop resistance and quality were markedly increased in correspondence with the nano-Se concentration. Therefore, nano-Se can improve the health of pepper plants by regulating the capsaicin metabolic pathway and modulating both amino acid and VOC contents.

A colorimetric smartphone-based sensor for on-site AA detection in tropical fruits using Fe-P/N[sbnd]C single-atom nanoenzyme

Ascorbic acid is one of the important vitamins to maintain human life activities and plays an irreplaceable role in regulating human redox metabolism. Fresh fruit can provide plenty of AA to maintain human metabolic balance. Thus, it is great significant to develop a rapid and convenient method for detection of AA to evaluate the freshness and nutritional quality of fruits. In this work, Fe single-atom nanoenzyme (Fe-SAN) based colorimetric sensor assisted with smartphone was designed for rapid and on-site AA detection in tropical fruits. Firstly, Fe-SAN with high oxidase-mimicking activity was synthesized by using green tea leaves as sources of carbon and nitrogen and NaH2PO2 as P source to obtain Fe-P/NC SAN, in which P was used to reconstruct the distribution of electronic to enhance the oxidase-mimicking activity of Fe-SAN. Besides, the as-synthesized Fe-P/NC SAN with remarkable oxidase-like activities could oxidize 3,3́,5,5́-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue colored oxidized TMB. AA could inhibit the oxidation of TMB, leading to blue fading. Based on the above principle, colorimetric sensor integrated with smartphone RGB mode was fabricated and exhibited a good linear detection range (0.5–100 μM) and low detection limit of 0.315 μM for AA detection under optimal conditions.More importantly, the developed sensor could rapidly and accurately detect AA in real sample, such as pineapple, wax apple and mango. Therefore, this research provides a new cost-effective method for the efficient and exact detection of AA in tropical fruit, which has a broad application prospect.

Deficient copper availability on organoleptic and nutritional quality of tomato fruit

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for plants because it functions as a redox-active cofactor in vital processes inside the cells. Arable lands are often deficient in micronutrient contents and require the application of enriched fertilisers, whose overuse poses a high risk for human health, the environment and the food safety. Here, we aimed to decipher the effects of Cu deficiency during fruit growth on Cu and other micronutrients contents and on the fruit nutritional value and quality of tomato, the most consumed fruit worldwide, throughout the maturation process. Changes in the contents of important micronutrients for fruit physiology and human health, such as Fe and Mn, occurred in response to Cu deficient growing conditions at different fruit ripening stages, while lower Cu levels were detected in those fruit along the whole maturation process. Cu deficiency delayed changes in lycopene content and fruit colour, but increased acidity, and advanced the rise in antioxidant capacity and vitamin C content during fruit colour change from green to light red in the Moneymaker tomato; although this time lag eventually caught up in the most mature fruit stage. Cu deficiency also increased total phenolic and flavonoid contents only in green fruit.

Qualitative and safety aspects in the camu-camu production chain

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) Mc Vaugh) is a native fruit of Amazon region, which stands out for its high levels of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. Such characteristics have increased its demand in the market, with several scientific studies being developed to elucidate its potential. As it is a climacteric fruit, its postharvest life is short. It is due to physiological events such as the growth of microorganisms and physical injuries and, consequently, less quality and poor safety of the product that reaches consumers. Its production system is admittedly fragile as it requires proper handling techniques to preserve both the sensory and nutritional quality of fruits. Thus, this review aimed to present the state-of-the-art of its fruit’s nutritional potential, quality, and post-harvest safety as raw material for the industry and consumers. The decision process outlined in the evidence inclusion protocol of this review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The studies selected for this review followed the flow of identification, selection, and eligibility until their inclusion, allowing the evaluation of the content addressed.

Intercropping Gramineae Herbage in Semiarid Jujube Cultivar ‘LingwuChangzao’ (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. LingwuChangzao) Orchard Improves Productivity, Plant Nutritional Quality, and Soil Quality

Forest-grass intercropping has great advantages in exploiting the potential of biological resources, improving the productivity of agriculture. Nevertheless, research on intercropping of ‘LingwuChangzao’ (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. LingwuChangzao) with Gramineae herbage is less frequently reported. In this study, we measured the land equivalent ratio (LER), the nutritional quality of fruit and forage, and soil properties when ‘LingwuChangzao’ jujube was intercropped with Gramineae herbage compared to when grown in a corresponding monoculture, using clean tillage as a control. The results indicated that ‘LingwuChangzao’ jujube/Gramineae herbage intercropping significantly improved the LER in the system, the appearance traits, and the quality of jujube fruit (e.g., the total soluble solids, soluble sugar, vitamin C, anthocyanin, and flavonoids). Conversely, some nutritional quality indicators, such as dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, and neutral detergent fiber of forage, were lower than the corresponding monoculture. The physical properties in the soil improved with increased soil water content, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, etc. Further, intercropping systems had significant effects on soil organic carbon fractions and most of the C-N cycling enzyme activities. Redundancy analyses (RDA) revealed that electrical conductivity and total nitrogen were the dominant soil factors that influenced the C-N cycling enzyme activities and four soil organic carbon fractions correlated with C-N cycling soil enzyme activities. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ‘LingwuChangzao’ jujube/Gramineae herbage intercropping significantly altered C-N cycling enzyme activities by driving the soil physicochemical properties and soil organic carbon fractions. Our findings show how to improve the productivity of ‘LingwuChangzao’ jujube and they provide insights into the mechanisms underlying healthy, biodiverse soils in agroecosystems.

Effects of limited water supply on metabolite composition in tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in two soils with different nutrient conditions.

Effect of water supply to metabolites in tomato fruit was compared in two soils with different nutrient conditions, i.e., either limited or excess. Two types of soil nutrient condition, type A: nutrient-limited and type B: nutrient-excess, were prepared as follows; type A is a low nutrient-containing soil without a replenishment of starved nitrogen and phosphorous, type B is a high nutrient-containing soil exceeding the recommended fertilization. Soil water was adjusted either at −30 kPa (sufficient) or −80 kPa (limited). For harvested tomato fruits, we examined primary and secondary metabolites using non-targeted mass spectrometry based metabolomics. The fruit production and leaf SPAD were greatly dependent on soil nutrient levels, by contrast, the level of lycopene remained unchanged by different levels of water and nutrient supply. The perturbation of metabolites by water supply was clear in the nutrient-excess soil. In particular, limited water supply strongly decreased primary metabolites including sugars and amino acids. We demonstrated that water stress differently shifted primary metabolites of tomato fruits in two soils with different nutrient conditions via non-targeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. In conclusion, we suggest that the limited water supply in soils with surplus nutrient is not a recommendable way for tomato ‘cv. Super Dotaerang’ production if fruit nutritional quality such as sugars and amino acids is in the consideration, although there was no disadvantage in fruit yield.

Phosphorus and potassium supplementing bio-mineral fertilizer augments soil fertility and improves fruit yield and quality of pomegranate

• A bio-mineral fertilizer (BMF) was developed to replace chemical fertilizer. • The BMF was developed from low-grade minerals combined with P and K mobilizer. • The BMF was found as effective as P and K chemical fertilizers in pomegranate cultivation. • BMF application remarkably improves fruit yield and quality of as well as soil fertility. Large-scale use of chemical fertilizers has brought about environmental pollution and raised food safety issues besides increasing the cost of production. The present study focused on using natural minerals inoculated with nutrient mobilizing microorganism so - called bio - mineral fertilizer to partially substitute chemical fertilizers dose. Two years of field trials and a pot culture experiment were carried out with pomegranate to look into the possibility of bio-mineral fertilizer use in saving phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) chemical fertilizers application and in improving soil fertility, tree nutrition, and fruit quality. Results manifested that application of bio-mineral fertilizer significantly enhanced available nitrogen (N), P, and K content of soil and also improved concentration of P, K, magnesium (Mg) and sulphur (S) in the tree foliage. As a consequence, higher fruit yield with perceptible improvement in quality attributes viz. aril percent, 100 arils test weight, juice acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, anthocyanin concentration was observed in bio-mineral treated trees. The highest yield (73.97% increase over control) was recorded with the application of 150 g tree −1 bio-mineral fertilizer which was equivalent to the yield obtained with the recommended dose of P and K chemical fertilizers. In addition, the application of bio-mineral fertilizer led to improvement in the nutritional quality of fruit and also soil microbial environment as indicated by higher microbial biomass carbon and enzymes activities. So, the results indicate that Penicillium pinophilum based bio-mineral fertilizer may be recommended to supplement P and K requirement of pomegranate tree and get maximum benefits in terms of yield, quality, and production cost savings.

Artificial daylength enhancement (pre-sunrise and post-sunset) with blue and red led lights affects tomato plant development, yield, and fruit nutritional quality

Artificial daylength enhancement (pre-sunrise and post-sunset) with blue and red led lights affects tomato plant development, yield, and fruit nutritional quality

Agronomic potential, pest resistance, and fruit quality in BC1F3 dwarf round tomato populations

Combining broad pest resistance, high yield, and nutritional quality of fruit in the same hybrid is a challenge for round tomato breeders. Thus, development of a dwarf round tomato line for obtaining hybrids may be an excellent alternative for achieving such objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agronomic potential, fruit quality, and pest resistance of BC1F3 dwarf round tomato populations. We evaluated 13 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments consisted of 10 BC1F3 dwarf populations originating from self-fertilization of dwarf populations selected in BC1F2, plus both parents (recurrent and donor) and a commercial hybrid. The traits evaluated were yield, number of fruit, mean weight, number of locules, shape, pulp thickness, longitudinal and transverse diameter of the fruit, precocity index, and soluble solids, β-carotene, lycopene, and acylsugar content. The data were analyzed through the means test. In general, there was an increase of up to 1035% in average fruit weight of the dwarf populations in relation to the donor parent. In addition, some dwarf populations had fruit with 49% more lycopene compared to the commercial hybrid, as well as greater acylsugar content in the leaves (273%). The UFU-DW22 dwarf population stood out with good agronomic potential, higher lycopene content in the fruit, and high acylsugar content, which provides pest resistance. To continue this research, a second backcross is suggested in order to obtain lines and, posteriorly, hybrids with round fruits and compact plants, pest resistance and nutritional quality of fruit.

Tomato Fruit Nutritional Quality Is Altered by the Foliar Application of Various Metal Oxide Nanomaterials.

Carbohydrates and phytonutrients play important roles in tomato fruit’s nutritional quality. In the current study, Fe3O4, MnFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, Zn0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4, Mn3O4, and ZnO nanomaterials (NMs) were synthesized, characterized, and applied at 250 mg/L to tomato plants via foliar application to investigate their effects on the nutritional quality of tomato fruits. The plant growth cycle was conducted for a total of 135 days in a greenhouse and the tomato fruits were harvested as they ripened. The lycopene content was initially reduced at 0 stored days by MnFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, and Zn0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4; however, after a 15-day storage, there was no statistical difference between the treatments and the control. Moreover, the β-carotene content was also reduced by Zn0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4, Mn3O4, and ZnO. The effects of the Mn3O4 and ZnO carried over and inhibited the β-carotene after the fruit was stored. However, the total phenolic compounds were increased by ZnFe2O4, Zn0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4, and ZnO after 15 days of storage. Additionally, the sugar content in the fruit was enhanced by 118% and 111% when plants were exposed to Mn3O4 and ZnO, respectively. This study demonstrates both beneficial and detrimental effects of various NMs on tomato fruit quality and highlights the need for caution in such nanoscale applications during crop growth.

Enhancing Production Through Input Use Efficiency of Virus-Resistant Pune Selection-3 Papaya Variety

An experiment was carried out using virus-resistant papaya variety Pune Selection-3 to study the effect of different cultivation methods for enhanced production and input use efficiency at Horticultural Research Farm, RAU, Pusa during the year 2016-2019. The outcomes of raised bed cultivation (a), drip irrigation (b), fertigation (c), polyethylene mulching (d) along with micronutrient spray (e) were analyzed using different combinations of these parameters as treatments for growth, yield-related parameters, and fruit quality. Nutrient use efficiency was also assessed by examining various interactive components such as soil nutrient content, nutrient acquisition with nutrient content in the leaves, the efficiency of nutrient utilization informs of the biomass produced, fruit yield, and fruit nutritional quality. The plant height was maximum in T1 (155 cm) which was significantly higher than the plant of control treatment. The flowering time was found to be reduced in all treatments. However, total soluble sugar was higher in T3. Overall, when the B:C ratio was compared, the treatment (T1) showed a higher value along with a 2.38-fold fruit yield/plant and 0.89-fold increase in fruit yield per hectare. The nutritional quality of fruits enhanced in T1 treated plants having a 1.78-fold increment in flavonoid content, and 1.2-fold more lycopene. The phenolic content was also 1.8-fold higher than the control (T5). The result obtained in the present study demonstrates that with the implementation of a suitable fertigation system in papaya cultivation we can obtain papaya growth, fruit yield per plant, and fruit quality by targeting enhancement in cost: benefit ratio.
 Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 10(2): 84-92.

Effect of drip-line layout and irrigation amount on yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and quality of short-season tomato in Northwest China

Greenhouse tomato cropping with under-mulch drip irrigation is common in arid and semi-arid Northwest China. To investigate the influence of drip-line layout and irrigation amount on yield, fruit quality, irrigation water use efficiency, and comprehensive benefit of tomato production, the experiment was conducted during two cropping seasons of spring to summer in 2015 and winter in 2015 to spring in 2016. In these two cropping seasons, two drip-line layout types were conducted, including a one drip-line for each plant-row and a one drip-line for two plant-rows, with four levels of irrigation amount, i.e., 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 times of accumulated evaporation of a 20 cm standard pan. The results showed that one drip-line for two plant-rows outperformed one drip-line for each plant-row in achieving higher yield and irrigation water use efficiency with the same irrigation amount. In these two drip-line layouts, tomato yield increased at first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation amount; while irrigation water use efficiency decreased all the way with the increase of irrigation amount. A principal component analysis demonstrated that the combination of one drip-line for each plant-row and 1.0 times of pan evaporation obtained the highest comprehensive fruit nutritional quality among all combinations of drip-line layout and irrigation amount in spring-summer season; while the combination of one drip-line for two plant-rows and 0.8 times of pan evaporation had the highest comprehensive fruit quality in winter-spring season. To purse high comprehensive benefits, combinations of one drip-line for two plant-rows and 0.8 times of pan evaporation, and one drip-line for each plant-row and 0.6 times of pan evaporation should be recommended for spring-summer and winter spring cropping seasons, respectively. The findings of this study can provide irrigation guidance for greenhouse tomato growing in Northwest China.