Yield and quality of native tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivated under contrasting environmental conditions

José A. Adame-Ramírez; Ma. de Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza; Oscar J. Ayala-Garay; Víctor A. González-Hernández; Fernando Castillo-González; Francisco Palemón-Alberto

doi:10.55779/nsb18212894

Authors

José A. Adame-Ramírez Colegio de Postgraduados, Programa de Recursos Genéticos y Productividad, Texcoco, CP 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México (MX) https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8435-5653
Ma. de Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza Colegio de Postgraduados, Programa de Recursos Genéticos y Productividad, Texcoco, CP 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México (MX) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1474-2200
Oscar J. Ayala-Garay Colegio de Postgraduados, Programa de Recursos Genéticos y Productividad, Texcoco, CP 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México (MX) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4072-820X
Víctor A. González-Hernández Colegio de Postgraduados, Programa de Recursos Genéticos y Productividad, Texcoco, CP 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México (MX) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8347-7311
Fernando Castillo-González Colegio de Postgraduados, Programa de Recursos Genéticos y Productividad, Texcoco, CP 56230 Montecillo, Estado de México (MX) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6139-909X
Francisco Palemón-Alberto Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Ambientales, Guerrero (MX) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3674-9729

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55779/nsb18212894

Keywords:

climate change, fruit yield and quality, genetic diversity, native varieties, shade mesh, tomato origin

Abstract

Mexico, the center of origin and domestication of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), preserves rich genetic diversity in native varieties adapted to adverse climatic conditions. In the context of rising temperatures due to climate change, these tomatoes could possess traits that make them resilient for new varieties. This study evaluated the yield and fruit quality of ten kidney-shaped native tomato varieties, the ‘Moneymaker’ variety, and the hybrid ‘7502F1’ at two contrasting locations (temperate climate and dry tropics) and under two greenhouse conditions (unshaded mesh and shade mesh). Variables such as yield per plant, weight, dimensions, and quality characteristics (color, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and weight loss) were measured. The results showed significant differences, particularly a 63.9% reduction in yield under dry tropical conditions. The use of shade mesh reduced air temperature by up to 3.0 °C. Finally, four of the ten native varieties showed higher total soluble solids values than ‘Moneymaker’ and ‘7502F1’; under extreme dry tropical conditions, only one native variety performed like ‘Moneymaker’ and the hybrid.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Akhoundnejad Y, Dasgan HY (2018). Physiological performance of some high temperature tolerant tomato genotypes. International Journal of Scientific and Technological Research 4(7): 57–74.

Alsamir M, Mahmood T, Trethowan R, Ahmad N (2021). An overview of heat stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 28(3): 1654–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.11.088

Bhandari R, Neupane N, Adhikari DP (2021). Climatic change and its impact on tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) production in plain area of Nepal. Environmental Challenges 4: 100129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100129

Bita CE, Gerats T (2013). Plant tolerance to high temperature in a changing environment: scientific fundamentals and production of heat stress-tolerant crops. Frontiers in Plant Science 4: 273. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2013.00273

Bonilla-Barrientos O, Lobato-Ortiz R, García-Zavala J, Cruz-Izquierdo S, Reyes-López D, Hernández-Leal E, Hernández-Bautista A (2014). Diversidad agronómica y morfológica de tomates arriñonados y tipo pimiento de uso local en Puebla y Oaxaca, México. Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana 37(2): 129–139.

Camejo D, Jiménez A, Alarcón JJ, Torres W, Gómez JM, Sevilla F (2006). Changes in photosynthetic parameters and antioxidant activities following heat-shock treatment in tomato plants. Functional Plant Biology 33(2): 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1071/FP05067

Chitwood DH, Kumar R, Headland LR, Ranjan A, Covington MF, Ichihashi Y, Sinha NR (2013). Quantitative genetic basis of leaf morphology in a set of precisely defined tomato introgression lines. The Plant Cell 25(7): 2465–2481. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.113.112391

Dasgan HY, Dere S, Akhoundnejad Y, Arpaci BB (2021). Effects of high-temperature stress during plant cultivation on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit nutrient content. Journal of Food Quality 2021: 7994417. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/7994417

Delgado-Vargas VA, Ayala-Garay OJ, Arévalo-Galarza ML, Gautier H (2023a). Increased temperature affects tomato fruit physicochemical traits at harvest depending on fruit developmental stage and genotype. Horticulturae 9(2): 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9020212

Delgado-Vargas VA, Hernández-Bolio GI, Hernández-Núñez E, Gautier H, Ayala-Garay O, Garruña R (2023b). Mesh crop cover optimizes the microenvironment in a tropical region and modifies the physiology and metabolome in tomato. Horticulturae 9(6): 636. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9060636

Diouf I, Derivot L, Koussevitzky S, Carretero Y, Bitton F, Moreau L, Causse M (2020). Genetic basis of phenotypic plasticity and genotype × environment interactions in a multi-parental tomato population. Journal of Experimental Botany 71(18): 5365–5376. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraa265

Eftekhari MS (2022). Impacts of climate change on agriculture and horticulture. In: Bandh SA (Ed). Climate Change: The Social and Scientific Construct. Springer, pp 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86290-9_8

Estrada-Trejo V, Lobato-Ortiz R, García-de los Santos G, Carrillo-Castañeda G, Castillo-González F, Contreras-Magaña E, Ayala-Garay OJ, de la O M, Artola AM (2014). Diversidad de poblaciones nativas de tomate para germinación en condiciones salinas. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas 5: 1067–1079.

Fahad S, Bajwa AA, Nazir U, Anjum SA, Farooq A, Zohaib A, Saud S (2017). Crop production under drought and heat stress: plant responses and management options. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 1147. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01147

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) (2015). La diversidad genética: una herramienta secreta para luchar contra el cambio climático. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, Roma, Italy.

Florido BM, Bao FL, Lara RM, Álvarez GM, Dueñas HF, Shagarodsky T (2016). Evaluación de la tolerancia a la sequía en tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) utilizando los índices de tolerancia. Cultivos Tropicales 37: 128–135.

Fortunato S, Lasorella C, Dipierro N, Vita F, de Pinto MC (2023). Redox signaling in plant heat stress response. Antioxidants 12(3): 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12030605

García AE (2004). Modificaciones al sistema de clasificación climática de Köppen (4th ed). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.

Gautier H, Diakou-Verdin V, Bénard C, Reich M, Buret M, Bourgaud F, Génard M (2008). How does tomato quality (sugar, acid, and nutritional quality) vary with ripening stage, temperature, and irradiance? Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56(4): 1241–1250. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf072196t

Harel D, Fadida H, Slepoy A, Gantz S, Shilo K (2014). The effect of mean daily temperature and relative humidity on pollen, fruit set and yield of tomato grown in commercial protected cultivation. Agronomy 4(1): 167–177. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy4010167

Krumbein A, Schwarz D, Kläring H (2006). Effects of environmental factors on carotenoid content in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum (L.) Mill.) grown in a greenhouse. Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality 80: 160–164. https://doi.org/10.5073/JABFQ.2006.080.024

Maxted N, Dulloo ME, Ford-Lloyd BV (2016). Enhancing Crop Genepool Use: Capturing Wild Relative and Landrace Diversity for Crop Improvement. CABI, Oxfordshire, UK, 469 p.

Pacheco-Triste IA, Chávez-Servia JL, Carrillo-Rodríguez JC (2014). Relación entre variación ecológica-orográfica y variabilidad morfológica de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) en Oaxaca. Revista Mexicana de Agroecosistemas 1: 28–39.

Pérez-Díaz F, Arévalo-Galarza ML, Pérez-Flores LJ, Lobato-Ortiz R, Ramírez-Guzmán ME (2020). Crecimiento y características postcosecha de frutos de genotipos nativos de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana 43(1): 89–99. https://doi.org/10.35196/rfm.2020.1.89

Razifard H, Ramos D, Della Valle A, Bodary L, Goetz C, Manser E, Caicedo AL (2020). Genomic evidence for complex domestication history of the cultivated tomato in Latin America. Molecular Biology and Evolution 37(4): 1118–1132. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz297

Ruiz-Nieves JM, Ayala-Garay OJ, Serra V, Dumont D, Vercambre G, Génard M, Gautier H (2021). The effects of diurnal temperature rise on tomato fruit quality. Can the management of the greenhouse climate mitigate such effects? Scientia Horticulturae 278: 109836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109836

Sánchez-Aspeytia D, Borrego-Escalante F, Zamora-Villa VM, Sánchez-Chaparro JD, Castillo-Reyes F (2015). Estimación de la interacción genotipo-ambiente en tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) con el modelo AMMI. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas 6(4): 763–778.

Sato S, Kamiyama M, Iwata T, Makita N, Furukawa H, Ikeda H (2006). Moderate increase of mean daily temperature adversely affects fruit set of Lycopersicon esculentum by disrupting specific physiological processes in male reproductive development. Annals of Botany 97(5): 731–738. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcl037

Shivashankara KS, Pavithra KC, Laxman RH, Sadashiva AT, Roy TK, Geetha GA (2015). Changes in fruit quality and carotenoid profile in tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) genotypes under elevated temperature. Journal of Horticultural Sciences 10(1): 38–43. https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v10i1.151

SIAP (Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera) (2024). Panorama agroalimentario. La ruta de la transformación agroalimentaria 2018–2024. Available at: http://nube.siap.gob.mx/gobmx_publicaciones_siap (Accessed: 15 February 2026)

Steiner AA (1984). The universal nutrient solution. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Soilless Culture. Lunteren, Netherlands, pp 633–649.

Taiz L, Zeiger E, Møller IM, Murphy A (2021). Plant Physiology and Development (7th ed). Sinauer Associates, 752 p.

Vardanian I, Sargsyan G, Martirosyan G, Pahlevanyan A, Tsereteli I, Martirosyan H, Khachatryan L, Zurabyan A, Harutyunyan Z (2025). Lycopene in tomatoes: genetic regulation, agronomic practices and environmental influence. Functional Food Science 5(4): 127–145. https://doi.org/10.31989/ffs.v5i4.1617

Wahid A, Gelani S, Ashraf M, Foolad MR (2007). Heat tolerance in plants: an overview. Environmental and Experimental Botany 61(3): 199–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2007.05.011

Yahia EM (2009). Modified and Controlled Atmospheres for the Storage, Transportation, and Packaging of Horticultural Commodities. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420069587