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Updated: May 26, 2026

Transient Expression in Nicotiana Benthamiana Leaves for Triterpene Production at a Preparative Scale
Published on: August 16, 2018
Impact of temporary nitrogen deprivation on tomato leaf phenolics
Camille Bénard1, Frédéric Bourgaud, Hélène Gautier
1INRA UR 1115 Horticultural Plants and Culture Systems ( PSH ), Domaine Saint Paul, F-84914 Avignon, France;
Abstract:
Reducing the use of pesticides represents a major challenge of modern agriculture. Plants synthesize secondary metabolites such as polyphenols that participate in the resistance to parasites. The aim of this study was to test: (1) the impact of nitrogen deficiency on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaf composition and more particularly on two phenolic molecules (chlorogenic acid and rutin) as well as on the general plant biomass; and (2) whether this effect continued after a return to normal nitrogen nutrition. Our results showed that plants deprived of nitrogen for 10 or 19 days contained higher levels of chlorogenic acid and rutin than control plants. In addition, this difference persisted when the plants were once again cultivated on a nitrogen-rich medium. These findings offer interesting perspectives on the use of a short period of deprivation to modulate the levels of compounds of interest in a plant.
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