Effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom.

Salinity is an environmental factor that limits plants growth and crop productivity, affecting biochemical and physiological mechanisms, as well as morphology in diverse plants. Decreasing in the photosynthetic capacity triggers important changes in plant development. It has been described that saline stress induce lipids, proteins and nucleic acids oxidative damage. To survive to these negative conditions, plants synthesize antioxidant molecules and detoxifying enzymes, in order to protect plant tissues against propagation of oxidative and cytotoxics species. In this context, Lycopene and ß-carotene have been correlated with antioxidant activities in several fruits. In a plant with moderate tolerance to salinity, such as tomato, high levels of NaCl decrease fruit size, number of leaves and stomatal density, reduce crop yield and negatively affect the carotenoids concentration. Interestingly, tomato plants exposed to low salinity significantly modifies the photosynthetic capacity, enhances carotenoid fruit accumulation and could improve tomato taste by increasing sugar and organic acids content. In this work, the effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom was studied. The results showed that after 8 weeks of irrigation with a 80mM to 160mM NaCl solutions negatively modified photosynthetic capacity, in terms of net photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, photochemical efficiency, electron transport rate and non photochemical quenching. Also, after 14 weeks of a 40 to 160 mM salinity treatments, tomato fruits showed an early coloration, increasing the solid soluble content in comparison with the control. However, a reduction in fruit caliber and fresh weight was observed from 80 mM NaCl onwards. Finally, salinity treatments differentially changed expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes and increased accumulation of several carotenoids under 120 to 160mM. Altogether, these results suggest that long term salt irrigation correlates with earliness in tomato, a major breeding characteristic in crop plants.Salinity is an environmental factor that limits plants growth and crop productivity, affecting biochemical and physiological mechanisms, as well as morphology in diverse plants. Decreasing in the photosynthetic capacity triggers important changes in plant development. It has been described that saline stress induce lipids, proteins and nucleic acids oxidative damage. To survive to these negative conditions, plants synthesize antioxidant molecules and detoxifying enzymes, in order to protect plant tissues against propagation of oxidative and cytotoxics species. In this context, Lycopene and ß-carotene have been correlated with antioxidant activities in several fruits. In a plant with moderate tolerance to salinity, such as tomato, high levels of NaCl decrease fruit size, number of leaves and stomatal density, reduce crop yield and negatively affect the carotenoids concentration. Interestingly, tomato plants exposed to low salinity significantly modifies the photosynthetic capacity, enhances carotenoid fruit accumulation and could improve tomato taste by increasing sugar and organic acids content. In this work, the effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom was studied. The results showed that after 8 weeks of irrigation with a 80mM to 160mM NaCl solutions negatively modified photosynthetic capacity, in terms of net photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, photochemical efficiency, electron transport rate and non photochemical quenching. Also, after 14 weeks of a 40 to 160 mM salinity treatments, tomato fruits showed an early coloration, increasing the solid soluble content in comparison with the control. However, a reduction in fruit caliber and fresh weight was observed from 80 mM NaCl onwards. Finally, salinity treatments differentially changed expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes and increased accumulation of several carotenoids under 120 to 160mM. Altogether, these results suggest that long term salt irrigation correlates with earliness in tomato, a major breeding characteristic in crop plants.Salinity is an environmental factor that limits plants growth and crop productivity, affecting biochemical and physiological mechanisms, as well as morphology in diverse plants. Decreasing in the photosynthetic capacity triggers important changes in plant development. It has been described that saline stress induce lipids, proteins and nucleic acids oxidative damage. To survive to these negative conditions, plants synthesize antioxidant molecules and detoxifying enzymes, in order to protect plant tissues against propagation of oxidative and cytotoxics species. In this context, Lycopene and ß-carotene have been correlated with antioxidant activities in several fruits. In a plant with moderate tolerance to salinity, such as tomato, high levels of NaCl decrease fruit size, number of leaves and stomatal density, reduce crop yield and negatively affect the carotenoids concentration. Interestingly, tomato plants exposed to low salinity significantly modifies the photosynthetic capacity, enhances carotenoid fruit accumulation and could improve tomato taste by increasing sugar and organic acids content. In this work, the effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom was studied. The results showed that after 8 weeks of irrigation with a 80mM to 160mM NaCl solutions negatively modified photosynthetic capacity, in terms of net photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, photochemical efficiency, electron transport rate and non photochemical quenching. Also, after 14 weeks of a 40 to 160 mM salinity treatments, tomato fruits showed an early coloration, increasing the solid soluble content in comparison with the control. However, a reduction in fruit caliber and fresh weight was observed from 80 mM NaCl onwards. Finally, salinity treatments differentially changed expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes and increased accumulation of several carotenoids under 120 to 160mM. Altogether, these results suggest that long term salt irrigation correlates with earliness in tomato, a major breeding characteristic in crop plants.Salinity is an environmental factor that limits plants growth and crop productivity, affecting biochemical and physiological mechanisms, as well as morphology in diverse plants. Decreasing in the photosynthetic capacity triggers important changes in plant development. It has been described that saline stress induce lipids, proteins and nucleic acids oxidative damage. To survive to these negative conditions, plants synthesize antioxidant molecules and detoxifying enzymes, in order to protect plant tissues against propagation of oxidative and cytotoxics species. In this context, Lycopene and ß-carotene have been correlated with antioxidant activities in several fruits. In a plant with moderate tolerance to salinity, such as tomato, high levels of NaCl decrease fruit size, number of leaves and stomatal density, reduce crop yield and negatively affect the carotenoids concentration. Interestingly, tomato plants exposed to low salinity significantly modifies the photosynthetic capacity, enhances carotenoid fruit accumulation and could improve tomato taste by increasing sugar and organic acids content. In this work, the effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom was studied. The results showed that after 8 weeks of irrigation with a 80mM to 160mM NaCl solutions negatively modified photosynthetic capacity, in terms of net photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, photochemical efficiency, electron transport rate and non photochemical quenching. Also, after 14 weeks of a 40 to 160 mM salinity treatments, tomato fruits showed an early coloration, increasing the solid soluble content in comparison with the control. However, a reduction in fruit caliber and fresh weight was observed from 80 mM NaCl onwards. Finally, salinity treatments differentially changed expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes and increased accumulation of several carotenoids under 120 to 160mM. Altogether, these results suggest that long term salt irrigation correlates with earliness in tomato, a major breeding characteristic in crop plants.Salinity is an environmental factor that limits plants growth and crop productivity, affecting biochemical and physiological mechanisms, as well as morphology in diverse plants. Decreasing in the photosynthetic capacity triggers important changes in plant development. It has been described that saline stress induce lipids, proteins and nucleic acids oxidative damage. To survive to these negative conditions, plants synthesize antioxidant molecules and detoxifying enzymes, in order to protect plant tissues against propagation of oxidative and cytotoxics species. In this context, Lycopene and ß-carotene have been correlated with antioxidant activities in several fruits. In a plant with moderate tolerance to salinity, such as tomato, high levels of NaCl decrease fruit size, number of leaves and stomatal density, reduce crop yield and negatively affect the carotenoids concentration. Interestingly, tomato plants exposed to low salinity significantly modifies the photosynthetic capacity, enhances carotenoid fruit accumulation and could improve tomato taste by increasing sugar and organic acids content. In this work, the effect of saline irrigation on the carotenoids biosynthesis and fruit development of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro Tom was studied. The results showed that after 8 weeks of irrigation with a 80mM to 160mM NaCl solutions negatively modified photosynthetic capacity, in terms of net photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, photochemical efficiency, electron transport rate and non photochemical quenching. Also, after 14 weeks of a 40 to 160 mM salinity treatments, tomato fruits showed an early coloration, increasing the solid soluble content in comparison with the control. However, a reduction in fruit caliber and fresh weight was observed from 80 mM NaCl onwards. Finally, salinity treatments differentially changed expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes and increased accumulation of several carotenoids under 120 to 160mM. Altogether, these results suggest that long term salt irrigation correlates with earliness in tomato, a major breeding characteristic in crop plants.