Pearl Grey Shading Net Boosts the Accumulation of Total Carotenoids and Phenolic Compounds That Accentuate the Antioxidant Activity of Processing Tomato.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide due to its low caloric intake and high fiber, minerals, and phenolic compounds, making it a high-quality functional food. However, fruit quality attributes can be affected by pre-harvest factors, especially environmental stresses. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of two shading nets (white net -30% and pearl grey net -40% shading degree) on the yield and phytochemical profile of tomato fruits grown in summer under the Mediterranean climate. Mineral and organic acid content (by ion chromatography-IC), phenolic profile (by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-UHPLC coupled with an Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry-HRMS), carotenoid content (by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection-HPLC-DAD), and antioxidant activities DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP (by UV-VIS spectrophotometry) were determined. Tomato fruits grown under the pearl grey net recorded the highest values of total phenolic compounds (14,997 µg 100 g-1 of fresh weight) and antioxidant activities DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP, without affecting either fruit color or marketable yield. The reduction of solar radiation through pearl grey nets proved to be an excellent tool to increase the phytochemical quality of tomato fruits during summer cultivation in a Mediterranean environment.

Physiological indexes of mini tomato cultivars grown in a protected environment / Índices fisiológicos de cultivares de mini tomates cultivados em ambientes protegidos

Shading screens are widely used to control excessive solar radiation, thereby changing plant growth. Thus, through physiological indices the objective was to evaluate the growth of three cultivars of minitomatoes under colored meshes. The experiment was conducted from April to July in the DTCS / UNEB experimental field in experiment DBC with subdivided plots, and four replicates, comprised of three shaded environments and the control treatment, three cultivars, and seven plant sampling seasons. For growth analysis, we used the destructive method, total dry matter was determined after drying it in an oven at 65°C. The total leaf area (LAI) was obtained using the software QUANT. Results showed that there was no interaction between environments and the other factors. Regarding leaf area index, cvs. Shani and Sweet Million stood out in all environments, whereas cv. Red Sugar had a similar behavior in all environments. Shani obtained the best indices in open sun environment and in the environment covered with red shading screen, and Sweet Million obtained the best index under gray shading screen. Red Sugar had the lowest LAI, and consequently, the lowest SLA and LAR. On the other hand, it showed the highest RPF, since it obtained the highest dry matter in leaves compared to the other cultivars. Cvs. Shani and Sweet Million showed the best: TAL, TCR, TCA and TCC.

As telas de sombreamento são utilizadas para controlar a radiação solar excessiva, podendo alterar o crescimento das plantas. Desse modo, objetivou-se por meio de índices fisiológicos avaliar o crescimento de três cultivares de mini tomates sob malhas coloridas. O experimento foi conduzido no período de abril a julho no campo experimental do DTCS/UNEB em delineamento experimental DBC, com parcelas subsubdivididas, com quatro repetições, compostos de três ambientes sombreados além do controle, três cultivares e sete épocas de amostragens. Para análise de crescimento, utilizou-se o método destrutivo e as massas secas totais obtidas após secagem em estufa a 65°C. A área foliar total foi obtida usando-se o software QUANT. Os resultados mostraram que não houve interação entre os ambientes e os demais fatores. Quanto as cvs., para índice de área foliar (LAI), destacaram-se as cvs. Shani e Sweet Million dentro de cada ambiente, tendo a cultivar Red Sugar comportamento similar nos ambientes. A cv. Shani obteve os melhores índices no ambiente a céu aberto e com tela vermelha e a cv. Sweet Million o melhor índice na tela cinza. A cv. Red Sugar apresentou o menor LAI, e consequentemente à menor AFE e RAF, em contrapartida apresentou a maior RPF, uma vez que obteve a maior massa seca nas folhas quando comparada as outras cultivares. As cvs. Shani e Sweet Million apresentaram as melhores: TAL, TCR, TCA e TCC.

Sombreamento de cafeeiros durante o desenvolvimento das gemas florais e seus efeitos sobre a frutificação e produção / Shading of coffee plants during floral buds development and its effects on fructification and production

O objetivo neste trabalho foi avaliar a influência do sombreamento, durante o período de desenvolvimento de gemas florais, sobre o desenvolvimento e maturação dos frutos, produção e tamanho dos grãos de Coffea arabica L. O experimento foi conduzido com cafeeiros adultos no Município de Londrina, os quais foram sombreados nos meses de abril, maio, junho, julho e agosto de 2004, com malhas de sombrite com 50 por cento de sombreamento. As coberturas foram retiradas, simultaneamente, no início de outubro do mesmo ano. A interceptação de 50 por cento da radiação incidente sobre o dossel dos cafeeiros em diferentes épocas do desenvolvimento de gemas florais não alterou o crescimento e o desenvolvimento dos frutos. As altas temperaturas e a deficiência hídrica anteciparam a maturação dos frutos, porém sem diferenças significativas nos estádios de maturação entre os tratamentos. O sombreamento, em diferentes épocas, também não afetou a produção e o tamanho dos grãos.

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the influence of shading during the period of floral buds development on the growth and maturation of coffee fruits, production and grain size of Coffea arabica L. The experiment was carried out in Londrina, PR, Brazil. Plots of adult coffee plants were shaded monthly in April, May, June, July and August of 2004 using shading screens with 50 percent of porosity. The coverings were removed simultaneously at the beginning of October of the same year. The interception of 50 percent of incident radiation over the coffee canopy in different periods of floral buds development did not alter fruit growth and development. Fruit maturation was anticipated due to high temperatures and water deficit, however without significant differences on maturation periods among treatments. Grain yield and size were not affected by shading in the different periods.