Modelling the effects of osmotic stress on tomato fruit development

Whereas most high-tech tomato greenhouses focus primarily on high production yields, consumers prefer a higher quality product. Dry matter content is one of the key factors determining fruit quality, and is known to be substantially influenced by altering the water status of the plant. While less water availability can improve fruit quality, this often goes hand in hand with a decrease in production due to less water accumulation in the fruit. A more thorough insight in the underlying mechanisms might contribute to a better understanding and eventually steering of this delicate balance. To achieve this deeper knowledge, we combined intensive monitoring of plant and fruit physiological variables with a model-based approach. An experiment on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv 'Dirk') was set up in a greenhouse, where two different water treatments were imposed by altering the salinity (Electric Conductivity, EC) of the substrate. Besides plant variables such as sap flow, stem diameter variation and stem water potential, fruit growth and quality parameters were measured as well. These data were then used in a recently developed virtual tomato plant and fruit model, which is capable of modelling both plant and fruit growth as well as fruit quality (sugars and acids) and xylem and phloem contribution to fruit growth, but which has not been tested under salt stressed conditions. Results did not only show that the model can be used to predict fruit growth during salt stress conditions, but also shows which plant parameters are affected most. This is a first step towards a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling fruit development under water deficit conditions.

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