Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions
Long-term soil mining with extensive cultivation practices and traditional breeding methods have declined the flavor and nutritional value of tomatoes. Apart from important mineral nutrients (i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) can considerably impr...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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author | Fazal Ullah Habib Ullah Muhammad Ishfaq Syeda Leeda Gul Tanweer Kumar Zhifang Li |
author_facet | Fazal Ullah Habib Ullah Muhammad Ishfaq Syeda Leeda Gul Tanweer Kumar Zhifang Li |
author_sort | Fazal Ullah |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Long-term soil mining with extensive cultivation practices and traditional breeding methods have declined the flavor and nutritional value of tomatoes. Apart from important mineral nutrients (i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) can considerably improve the quality of agricultural production through higher phosphate uptake. Using hydroponically cultured commercially available tomato cultivars, we investigated the possible effects of mycorrhizae in improving the nutritional quality of tomato fruit. <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> (syn. <i>Glomus mosseae</i>)-inoculated tomato plants were grown on a 1:1 mixture of peat and vermiculite, and different phosphorus levels were applied. RNAseq and metabolites were studied to confirm the relative gene expression and metabolites in fruit tissues. The results showed that AM inoculation with low phosphorus can significantly improve important fruit-quality traits such as free amino acids, lycopene (47.9%), and β-carotene (29.6%) without compromising the yield. Further, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparing the nutritional and ripening potential of fruits produced by mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Notably, carotenoids and sugars (BRIX values) were found to be higher in mycorrhized plants in contrast to non-mycorrhized plants. Therefore, the current study suggests mycorrhization as a promising approach for the production of high-quality tomato fruit for human consumption. |
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language | English |
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spelling | doaj.art-79115478f8b94cfeb2e8c11f48972fcc2023-11-17T19:28:52ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242023-03-019444810.3390/horticulturae9040448Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse ConditionsFazal Ullah0Habib Ullah1Muhammad Ishfaq2Syeda Leeda Gul3Tanweer Kumar4Zhifang Li5Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaDepartment of Chemistry, Government Post Graduate College, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, KPK, PakistanCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaChina State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaSugar Crops Research Institute, Agriculture livestock Fisheries and Cooperative Department, Mardan 23200, KPK, PakistanBeijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaLong-term soil mining with extensive cultivation practices and traditional breeding methods have declined the flavor and nutritional value of tomatoes. Apart from important mineral nutrients (i.e., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) can considerably improve the quality of agricultural production through higher phosphate uptake. Using hydroponically cultured commercially available tomato cultivars, we investigated the possible effects of mycorrhizae in improving the nutritional quality of tomato fruit. <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> (syn. <i>Glomus mosseae</i>)-inoculated tomato plants were grown on a 1:1 mixture of peat and vermiculite, and different phosphorus levels were applied. RNAseq and metabolites were studied to confirm the relative gene expression and metabolites in fruit tissues. The results showed that AM inoculation with low phosphorus can significantly improve important fruit-quality traits such as free amino acids, lycopene (47.9%), and β-carotene (29.6%) without compromising the yield. Further, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparing the nutritional and ripening potential of fruits produced by mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. Notably, carotenoids and sugars (BRIX values) were found to be higher in mycorrhized plants in contrast to non-mycorrhized plants. Therefore, the current study suggests mycorrhization as a promising approach for the production of high-quality tomato fruit for human consumption.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/4/448phosphate fertilizeryieldfree amino acidsfruit qualityBRIX valuecarotenoids |
spellingShingle | Fazal Ullah Habib Ullah Muhammad Ishfaq Syeda Leeda Gul Tanweer Kumar Zhifang Li Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions Horticulturae phosphate fertilizer yield free amino acids fruit quality BRIX value carotenoids |
title | Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions |
title_full | Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions |
title_fullStr | Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions |
title_full_unstemmed | Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions |
title_short | Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Tomato Fruit with <i>Funneliformis mosseae</i> Inoculation under Greenhouse Conditions |
title_sort | improvement of nutritional quality of tomato fruit with i funneliformis mosseae i inoculation under greenhouse conditions |
topic | phosphate fertilizer yield free amino acids fruit quality BRIX value carotenoids |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/4/448 |
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