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Tomato Analyzer: A Useful Software Application to Collect Accurate and Detailed Morphological and Colorimetric Data from Two-dimensional Objects
Published on: March 16, 2010
Tomato fruit continues growing while ripening, affecting cuticle properties and cracking.
Eva Domínguez1, María Dolores Fernández, Juan Carlos López Hernández
1IHSM La Mayora (CSIC-Universidad de Málaga), Algarrobo-Costa, E-29750 Málaga, Spain.
Physiologia Plantarum
|May 16, 2012
Summary
Fruit cracking in tomatoes is linked to ripening, cuticle properties, and environmental factors like humidity and radiation. Less deformable cuticles and higher fruit growth rates during ripening increase cracking susceptibility.
Area of Science:
- Plant science
- Agricultural science
- Biophysics
Background:
- Fruit cracking is a significant issue in tomato production, leading to economic losses.
- The fruit cuticle plays a critical role in maintaining structural integrity during ripening.
- Environmental conditions influence fruit development, ripening, and the incidence of cracking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between fruit growth, cuticle biomechanics, and fruit cracking in cherry tomatoes.
- To determine the impact of environmental factors (radiation and relative humidity) on cuticle composition, biomechanics, and fruit cracking.
- To identify key parameters influencing cracking susceptibility during tomato fruit ripening.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of two cherry tomato cultivars under controlled conditions of radiation and relative humidity.
- Measurement of fruit growth using displacement sensors.
- Analysis of cuticle composition and biomechanical properties (deformability) of cracked and non-cracked fruits.
Main Results:
- High relative humidity and low radiation reduced cuticle accumulation.
- Cracked tomato fruits exhibited a less deformable cuticle compared to non-cracked fruits.
- Fruit growth rate during ripening varied by genotype and was influenced by environmental conditions, with higher rates under high RH and radiation, conditions that also favored cracking.
Conclusions:
- Fruit growth rate during ripening, potentially driven by internal turgor pressure, is a critical factor in fruit cracking.
- Cuticle deformability is a key characteristic distinguishing cracked from non-cracked fruits.
- Environmental conditions that promote fruit growth during ripening exacerbate cracking susceptibility.
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