Enhancing tomato fruit antioxidant potential through hydrogen nanobubble irrigation

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Physiology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants combat oxidative stress and promote health.
• Hydrogen exhibits unique antioxidant properties but faces application challenges due to solubility and diffusion.
• Nanobubble technology offers a potential solution for hydrogen delivery in agriculture, yet crop responses remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the physiological adaptation and response mechanisms of crops to hydrogen nanobubbles.
• To quantify the impact of hydrogen nanobubble water irrigation on antioxidant concentrations in tomato fruits.
• To elucidate the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying these changes using multi-omics approaches.

Main Methods:

• Drip irrigation of tomato plants with hydrogen nanobubble water, oxygen nanobubble water, and underground water.
• Quantification of antioxidant concentrations (lycopene, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, resveratrol).
• Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to identify regulatory differences.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in antioxidant concentrations (16.3–264.8% and 2.2–19.8%) in tomato fruits irrigated with hydrogen nanobubble water compared to controls.
• Identification of altered gene abundances related to hormonal control and hydrogenase activity.
• Changes in synthetic metabolites crucial for antioxidant production were observed.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogen nanobubble water irrigation effectively enhances multiple natural antioxidant components in tomato fruits.
• Multi-omics analysis provides insights into the molecular mechanisms, including hormonal regulation and hydrogen metabolism.
• This study presents the first evidence of hydrogen nanobubble water irrigation improving fruit antioxidant content, with implications for agricultural applications and understanding hydrogen's biological effects.