Responses of tomato hybrid cultivars to soil application of humic acid under greenhouse conditions

Responses of three tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) hybrids viz. 'Luanova', 'Savarona' and 'Tessera' to various doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g L-1) of soil application of humic acid (HA) were evaluated in terms of plant growth, productivity and quality of fruits, under greenhouse conditions, during 2011-12 and 2012-13. In addition to improved quality characteristics, higher values for yield and yield components were recorded for tomato fruits harvested from plants of 'Tessera' cultivar compared to those harvested from other hybrids tested, regardless of growing seasons. Plants from 'Luanova' cultivar were, however, earlier in fruiting with higher number of fruits per plant. Soil application of HA presented positive effects on yield and physicochemical quality of tomato fruits irrespective of the dose of HA and the cultivar investigated, in both seasons. Soil application of HA at higher dose 1.5 g L-1 exhibited better results in all the three tomato cultivars tested, in terms of their vegetative and reproductive growth, and significantly improved the physicochemical quality of their fruits. Conclusively, the tomato hybrid 'Tessera' was found suitable for cultivation under greenhouse conditions while soil application of aqueous solution of HA @ 1.5 g L-1 substantially resulted in higher production of quality tomato fruits.

Effects of different drying methods and packaging materials on the physical and sensory qualities of tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum L.)

Fresh tomato fruits have a very limited shelf life partly due to their high moisture content and respiration rate. A possible way of storing tomato fruits is to dry and process them into powder or paste. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the effects of drying methods and packaging materials on physical and sensory qualities of powdered tomato in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Harvested fruits of tomato variety, “Rio de grande” were subjected to blanching and subsequent drying methods and packaging materials. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD); with the drying methods placed in main plot while the packaging materials in sub-plot and repeated three times before storage for twelve weeks. At four weeks of storage, oven drying method was found to be statistically different (p≤0.05) in terms of water absorption capacity value of 3.19 (mg/100g). The glass jars performed better than polythene bags in color retention, taste and consistency at four weeks of storage. The study shows that tomato fruits can be successfully dried using oven, sun and shade drying methods but preferably oven drying method. The processed powder could be successfully stored for 12 weeks or above using either glass jars or plastic container without affecting the consumer appeal and this will also reduce the postharvest losses of tomato fruits.

Brassinosteroid Biosynthetic Gene SlCYP90B3 Alleviates Chilling Injury of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruits during Cold Storage

Tomato is susceptible to chilling injury during cold storage. In this study, we found that low temperature promoted the expression of brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthetic genes in tomato fruits. The overexpression of SlCYP90B3 (SlCYP90B3-OE), a key BR biosynthetic gene, alleviated the chilling injury with decreased electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde. In SlCYP90B3-OE tomato fruits, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were markedly increased, while the activity of membranous lipolytic enzymes, lipoxygenase (LOX), and phospholipase D (PLD), were significantly decreased when compared with the wild-type in response to cold storage. Furthermore, the expression level of the cold-response-system component, SlCBF1, was higher in SlCYP90B3-OE fruits than in the wild-type fruits. These results indicated that SlCYP90B3 might be involved in the chilling tolerance of tomato fruits during cold storage, possibly by regulating the antioxidant enzyme system and SlCBF1 expression.

Mass Spectrometry Imaging Analysis of Metabolic Changes in Green and Red Tomato Fruits Exposed to Drought Stress

Plant metabolism is altered in response to various environmental changes. In vegetable crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the metabolic composition of fruits varies depending on the variety or cultivar as well as the cultivation method used. Few studies have examined the metabolic fluctuations in fruits under stress conditions, such as drought. We previously examined the metabolomes of mature green tomato fruits, which undergo drastic changes in chemical composition during ripening, and mature red fruits in response to drought stress. We detected or predicted fluctuations in the levels of fatty acids and phospholipid constituents, such as inositol and ethanolamine. In this study, we determined the localizations of these metabolites in fruits using mass spectrometry imaging. The accumulation patterns of stearic acid and palmitic acid were similar, but unlike these fatty acids, oleic acid accumulated to high levels in the placenta. Inositol is involved in various physiological processes; under drought conditions, this metabolite is synthesized by a different pathway compared to under normal conditions. The biosynthesis of pectin, a component of the gel surrounding the seeds, was suppressed under drought stress but increased in seeds. We propose that under drought conditions, a shift to phospholipid biosynthesis occurs that protects seeds from dehydration.

Plants: a unique model for research on high diluted substances

Introduction: High efficiency and low cost of homeopathic drugs, lack of side effects and accumulation of toxins in animal farming products made homeopathy one of the priority developments in veterinary medicine. However, opponents of homeopathy have intensified their activity in the recent years. The attacks of the opponents of homeopathy, with their unfounded claims that it is totally explained by the placebo effect, can largely be explained by complexity of understanding the mechanism of action of these remedies which does not fit into the established concepts the effect of drugs on the body. That is why further study of homeopathic phenomenon is especially important in these days. In order to disproof the opinion that homeopathic phenomenon is explained by placebo effect, we have been studying the effect homeopathic remedies on vegetable growth and ripening. This choice was based on the hope that the opponents of homeopathy would not be able to accuse plants of self-suggestion under the effect of potentiated remedies. There are many publications about application of homeopathic remedies on plants. For example, in this direction such researchers as Stephan Baumgartner, Carneiro SMTPG, Rossi F, Carvalho LM, Bonato CM, Betti L, Lazzarato L V. Majewsky, and other researchers worked. Methods: Our first experiments that we performed during two years demonstrated a significant improvement of growth and ripening variables when homeopathic remedies were added to fertilizing mixtures, as compared with conventional plant care. Tomatoes of Typhoon F1 and Titan breeds were sued to study the effect of homeopathic remedies on plant growth and ripening. The studies were performed in greenhouse conditions in summer 2009 and 2010, on fertile soils of an experimental farm in the Krasnoselskiy district of the Leningrad region. Every study group of a certain tomato breed contained 20 plants. When the young plants were planted in the soil they were watered with adding Coca 1000 СН remedy, and then in one month the upper part of the plant was sprayed with Echinacea 30 СН. The same amounts of similar plants of the same breeds treated according to conventional agricultural technology were used as a control group. Results: As a result earlier ripening was found in the Typhoon F1 tomato breed: it occurred by 19 days earlier: that is by 18.3% than in the control group. The Titan tomatoes group ripened by 14.3% faster than in the control one. Every plant of the Typhoon breed produced an average of 45 tomato fruits, while in the control group the average number amounted to 14 (i.e. there was an increase of 221.4% in the test group). An average of 78 tomato fruits were produced by the Titan breed plants, while in the control group this number was only 20 (increase by 290%). Mean weight of the Typhoon tomato fruit increased by 59.5 g from the control values, i.e. by 180.8%. Mean weight of the Titan tomato fruit increased by 128.5 i.e. by 208.9%. A notable difference was found by all observers in the taste of experimental and control vegetables. The experimental plants had significantly better taste characteristics and they were also more resistant to buck eye rot. Conclusion: In such a way, the studies performed confirm the existence of homeopathic phenomenon in live organisms in the absence of the placebo effect. It has been demonstrated that the use of homeopathic remedies is effective in improvement of agricultural productivity. Plants are unique model for research of ultrahigh dilutions of substances.

Tomato maturity recognition using YOLOV 5 machine learning

The implementation of robotic systems and digitalization in agriculture are important tasks today. In this paper, the possibility of using pattern recognition and machine learning methods as a computer model of an agricultural robot for harvesting is considered. The grading of tomato fruits can be classified based on their ripeness according to their life cycles, which can be identified by their color: green in the growing stage, yellow in the pre-ripening stage, and red when ripe. Conventional skill-based methods cannot meet the exact selection criteria for modern production management in the agricultural sector as they are time-consuming and of low accuracy. Automatic feature extraction behavior using machine learning is most effective in image classification and recognition tasks. Thus, the article presents the results of a study on the recognition of ripe tomato fruits by a robotic system, carried out within the framework of the grant project of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan AP08857573 and implemented classical algorithms based on the HSV color model and color segmentation using the k-means algorithm as comparative algorithms and based on machine learning, a universal intelligent tomato classification system is proposed for practical use using Yolo 5. This study aims to provide an inexpensive solution with the best performance and accuracy for assessing tomato ripeness. The results are collected in terms of accuracy, loss curves and confusion matrix. The results showed that the proposed model outperforms other machine learning (ML) methods used by researchers for tomato classification problems, providing 99% accuracy.

Pearl Grey Shading Net Boosts the Accumulation of Total Carotenoids and Phenolic Compounds that Accentuate the Antioxidant Activity of Processing Tomato

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide due to its low caloric intake and high fiber, minerals, and phenolic compounds, making it a high-quality functional food. However, fruit quality attributes can be affected by pre-harvest factors, especially environmental stresses. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of two shading nets (white net −30% and pearl grey net −40% shading degree) on the yield and phytochemical profile of tomato fruits grown in summer under the Mediterranean climate. Mineral and organic acid content (by ion chromatography-IC), phenolic profile (by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-UHPLC coupled with an Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry-HRMS), carotenoid content (by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection-HPLC-DAD), and antioxidant activities DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP (by UV-VIS spectrophotometry) were determined. Tomato fruits grown under the pearl grey net recorded the highest values of total phenolic compounds (14,997 µg 100 g−1 of fresh weight) and antioxidant activities DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP, without affecting either fruit color or marketable yield. The reduction of solar radiation through pearl grey nets proved to be an excellent tool to increase the phytochemical quality of tomato fruits during summer cultivation in a Mediterranean environment.