Sugar Accumulation and Fruit Quality of Tomatoes under Water Deficit Irrigation

Agricultural production has improved with the development of water deficit (WD) irrigation technology, but the impact of the application of WD irrigation on product quality is still understudied. The effects of WD irrigation on the transcriptome and metabolome of fruit have been investigated by treating tomato plants with control or WD irrigation during the growing period. WD irrigation promoted the accumulation of reducing sugars, total acids, vitamin C (VC) and soluble solid content (SSC) of the fruit, which increased the sweetness and enriched their taste. Transcripts of genes involved in fruit quality including color, texture and flavor, as well as plant hormones were affected by WD irrigation. Also, a combined analysis of multiple omics revealed that the genes and metabolites involved in galactose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism were affected by WD. This study provides insights into the effects of WD irrigation techniques on tomato fruit quality, which will provide new directions for the improvement of other fruit quality in the future.