Green-fabricated silver nanoparticles from Quercus incana leaf extract to control the early blight of tomatoes caused by Alternaria solani.

BACKGROUND: Early blight (EB) of Tomatoes, caused by Alternaria solani, is a serious fungal disease that adversely affects tomato production. Infection is characterized by dark lesions on leaves, stems, and fruits. Several agrochemicals can be used to control infection, these chemicals may disrupt environmental equilibrium. An alternative technology is needed to address this significant fungal threat. This study was designed to control the growth of EB in tomatoes caused by A. solani, using green-fabricated silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). RESULTS: Ag-NPs were synthesized through an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach using leaf extract of Quercus incana Roxb. (Fagaceae). The physico-chemical characterization of the Ag-NPs was conducted through UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The Ag-NPs produced were round with a mean diameter of 27 nm. The antifungal activity of these Ag-NPs was assessed through in vitro Petri plate and in vitro leaflet assays against A. solani. The green fabricated Ag-NPs exhibited excellent antifungal activity in vitro at a concentration of 100 mg/l against A. solani, inhibiting growth by 98.27 ± 1.58% and 92.79 ± 1.33% during Petri plate and leaflet assays, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study suggests the practical application of green-fabricated Ag-NPs from Q. incana leaf extract against A. solani to effectively control EB disease in tomatoes.

As assessment of shelf life increasing competence of pectin (Zucchini) based edible coating on tomatoes.

The most recent advancement in food packaging research involves improving the shelf life of perishable foods by utilising bio-based resources that are edible, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. The current study investigated the effect of edible pectin coating on mature green tomatoes to improve shelf life and storage properties. Zucchini pectin was used to make edible coating. The antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of extracted pectin were investigated. The findings indicated that the extracted pectin had antimicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Aspergillus niger) and antioxidant (34.32% at 1 mg/mL) properties.Tomatoes were immersed in pectin solutions of varying concentrations, 1, 3, and 5% (w/v). Physiological evaluations of weight loss, total sugar content, titratable acidity pH, and ascorbic acid were performed on tomatoes during their maturing stages of mature green, light red, pure red, and breaking. Coating the tomatoes with pectin (5%) resulted in minimal weight loss while increasing the retention of total sugar, ascorbic acid, and titratable acidity. The shelf life of the pectin-coated tomatoes was extended to 11 days, while the uncoated control tomatoes lasted 9 days. Thus, a 5% edible pectin solution was found to be effective in coating tomatoes. The current study suggests that using 5% pectin as an edible coating on tomatoes can delay/slow the ripening/maturing process while also extending the shelf-life of tomatoes without affecting their physiochemical properties, which is scalable on a large scale for commercial purposes.

Antifungal activity of copper oxide nanoparticles derived from Zizyphus spina leaf extract against Fusarium root rot disease in tomato plants.

Incorporating green chemistry concepts into nanotechnology is an important focus area in nanoscience. The demand for green metal oxide nanoparticle production has grown in recent years. The beneficial effects of using nanoparticles in agriculture have already been established. Here, we highlight some potential antifungal properties of Zizyphus spina leaf extract-derived copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-Zs-NPs), produced with a spherical shape and defined a 13-30 nm particle size. Three different dosages of CuO-Zs-NPs were utilized and showed promising antifungal efficacy in vitro and in vivo against the selected fungal strain of F. solani causes tomato root rot disease, which was molecularly identified with accession number (OP824846). In vivo  results indicated that, for all CuO-Zs-NPs concentrations, a significant reduction in Fusarium root rot disease occurred between 72.0 to 88.6% compared to 80.5% disease severity in the infected control. Although treatments with either the chemical fungicide (Kocide 2000) showed a better disease reduction and incidence with (18.33% and 6.67%) values, respectively, than CuO-Zs-NPs at conc. 50 mg/l, however CuO-Zs-NPs at 250 mg/l conc. showed the highest disease reduction (9.17 ± 2.89%) and lowest disease incidence (4.17 ± 3.80%). On the other hand, CuO-Zs-NPs at varied values elevated the beneficial effects of tomato seedling vigor at the initial stages and plant growth development compared to either treatment with the commercial fungicide or Trichoderma Biocide. Additionally, CuO-Zs-NPs treatments introduced beneficial results for tomato seedling development, with a significant increase in chlorophyll pigments and enzymatic activity for CuO-Zs-NPs treatments. Additionally, treatment with low concentrations of CuO-Zs-NPs led to a rise in the number of mature pollen grains compared to the immature ones.  however the data showed that CuO-Zs-NPs have a unique antifungal mechanism against F. solani, they  subsequently imply that CuO-Zs-NPs might be a useful environmentally friendly controlling agent for the Fusarium root rot disease that affects tomato plants.

Ulcerated diaper dermatitis: Child abuse mimicker.

Irritant diaper dermatitis is a common dermatologic problem among infants and young children. Severe erosive presentations, although uncommon, are diagnostically challenging and can mimic non-accidental trauma (NAT). Diagnosing inflicted injury and NAT where it does not exist can cause parental distress, yet failing to diagnose inflicted injury and NAT can result in re-injury. We describe three cases of severe erosive diaper dermatitis in pediatric patients aged 2-6 years that were initially concerning for inflicted scald burn or neglect.

Detection, Characterization, and Distribution of the First Case of Pepino Mosaic Virus in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., family Solanaceae) represents one of the most economically valuable horticultural crops worldwide. Tomato production is affected by numerous emerging plant viruses. We identified, for the first time in New Zealand (NZ), Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) in greenhouse grown tomato crops using a combination of methods from electron microscopy and herbaceous indexing to RT-qPCR and high-throughput sequencing. Phylogenetic and genomic analysis of a near-complete PepMV genome determined that the detected strain belonged to the mild form of the CH2 lineage of the virus. Subsequently, a delimiting survey of PepMV was conducted, and PepMV was detected at four additional locations. PCR-derived sequences obtained from samples collected from different greenhouses and from herbaceous indicator plants were identical to the original sequence. Since PepMV has never been reported in NZ before, seed pathways are speculated to be the most likely source of entry into the country.

Antimicrobial Packaging for Plum Tomatoes Based on ZnO Modified Low-Density Polyethylene.

Food safety and quality are major concerns in the food industry. Despite numerous studies, polyethylene remains one of the most used materials for packaging due to industry reluctance to invest in new technologies and equipment. Therefore, modifications to the current materials are easier to implement than adopting whole new solutions. Antibacterial activity can be induced in low-density polyethylene films only by adding antimicrobial agents. ZnO nanoparticles are well known for their strong antimicrobial activity, coupled with low toxicity and UV shielding capability. These characteristics recommend ZnO for the food industry. By incorporating such safe and dependable antimicrobial agents in the polyethylene matrix, we have obtained composite films able to inhibit microorganisms' growth that can be used as packaging materials. Here we report the obtaining of highly homogenous composite films with up to 5% ZnO by a melt mixing process at 150 °C for 10 min. The composite films present good transparency in the visible domain, permitting consumers to visualize the food, but have good UV barrier properties. The composite films exhibit good antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity from the lowest ZnO composition (1%), against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The homogenous dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles into the polyethylene matrix was assessed by Fourier transform infrared microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The optimal mechanical barrier properties were obtained for composition with 3% ZnO. The thermal analysis indicates that the addition of ZnO nanoparticles has increased thermal stability by more than 100 °C. The UV-Vis spectra indicate a low transmittance in the UV domain, lower than 5%, making the films suitable for blocking photo-oxidation processes. The obtained films proved to be efficient packaging films, successfully preserving plum (Rome) tomatoes for up to 14 days.

A new method for quantification of tomatine-enriched extracts.

BACKGROUND: Green tomato extracts, an agro-food industry waste, are rich in the glycoalkaloid tomatine, which presents activity against several diseases. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection is one of the most used techniques for quantification of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to optimize and validate a selective HPLC method with diode array detector (DAD) for the quantitative analysis of tomatine extracted from green tomatoes by subcritical water. RESULTS: Chromatographic runs were performed on a InertSustain Phenyl (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) analytical column, at a wavelength of 205 nm. A concentration range of 50-580 µg mL-1 was used. The validation process was performed considering the linearity, precision, trueness, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the method. The selected mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and a solution of 20 mmol L-1 potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) pH 3, resulted in suitable retention times and a standard calibration curve with adequate linearity (R2 = 0.9999). The method trueness was evaluated by the recovery assay, obtaining a mean recovery of 105% and the precisions were 1.4% and 0.9% (percentage relative standard deviation, RSD%) for the tomatine standard and extract samples, respectively. The inter-day variability was 2.7-9.0% (RSD%) for the standards and 6.9% (RSD%) for extract. The LOD and the LOQ of the method were determined at 8.0 and 24.1 µg mL-1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The herein described method was successfully used for the quantification of tomatine in a tomato-derived extract. Furthermore, the method constitutes a simple and rapid analytical approach able to be used as a routine protocol. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Different electrolytic treatments for food sanitation and conservation simulating a wash process at the packinghouse.

Microorganisms are predominantly responsible for food deterioration, necessitating the sanitization and removal of these entities from food surfaces. The packinghouse employs free chlorine in the sanitization process; however, free chlorine's propensity to react with organic matter, forming potentially toxic compounds, has led to its restriction or outright prohibition in several European countries. Therefore, this study aims to assess various washing methods, emulating packinghouse conditions, utilizing diverse forms of electrolyzed water to impede microbial proliferation and significantly enhance the food's shelf life. The subject of investigation was cherry tomatoes. The findings revealed that electrolyzed water containing NaCl exhibited superior efficacy compared to electrolysis with Na2SO4. Both forms of electrolyzed water demonstrated noteworthy effectiveness in inhibiting microorganisms, resulting in a reduction of 2.0 Log CFU mL-1 for bacteria and 1.5 Log CFU mL-1 for fungi. The electrolyzed water also exhibited a comparable capability to free chlorine in removing fecal coliforms from the tomato surfaces. Notably, both electrolyzed water treatments extended the shelf life of cherry tomatoes by at least three days, accompanied by minimal or negligible residues of free chlorine. Consequently, the electrolyzed water formulations proposed in this study present themselves as promising alternatives to traditional packinghouse sanitizers. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05882-1.

Role of enterocyte Enpp2 and autotaxin in regulating lipopolysaccharide levels, systemic inflammation, and atherosclerosis.

Conversion of lysophosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) by autotaxin, a secreted phospholipase D, is a major pathway for producing LPA. We previously reported that feeding Ldlr-/- mice standard mouse chow supplemented with unsaturated LPA or lysophosphatidylcholine qualitatively mimicked the dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis induced by feeding a Western diet (WD). Here, we report that adding unsaturated LPA to standard mouse chow also increased the content of reactive oxygen species and oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) in jejunum mucus. To determine the role of intestinal autotaxin, enterocyte-specific Ldlr-/-/Enpp2 KO (intestinal KO) mice were generated. In control mice, the WD increased enterocyte Enpp2 expression and raised autotaxin levels. Ex vivo, addition of OxPL to jejunum from Ldlr-/- mice on a chow diet induced expression of Enpp2. In control mice, the WD raised OxPL levels in jejunum mucus and decreased gene expression in enterocytes for a number of peptides and proteins that affect antimicrobial activity. On the WD, the control mice developed elevated levels of lipopolysaccharide in jejunum mucus and plasma, with increased dyslipidemia and increased atherosclerosis. All these changes were reduced in the intestinal KO mice. We conclude that the WD increases the formation of intestinal OxPL, which i) induce enterocyte Enpp2 and autotaxin resulting in higher enterocyte LPA levels; that ii) contribute to the formation of reactive oxygen species that help to maintain the high OxPL levels; iii) decrease intestinal antimicrobial activity; and iv) raise plasma lipopolysaccharide levels that promote systemic inflammation and enhance atherosclerosis.

Low cost maize stover biochar as an alternative to inorganic fertilizer for improvement of soil chemical properties, growth and yield of tomatoes on degraded soil of Northern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Soil fertility decline due to nutrient mining coupled with low inorganic fertilizer usage is a major cause of low crop yields across sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, biochar potential to improve soil fertility has gained significant attention but there are limited studies on the use of biochar as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers. In this study, we determined the effect of maize stover biochar without inorganic fertilizers on soil chemical properties, growth and yield of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). A field experiment was conducted in 2022 for two consecutive seasons in Northern Uganda. The experiment included five treatments; inorganic fertilizer (control), biochar applied at rates of 3.5, 6.9, 13.8 and 27.6 t ha-1. RESULTS: In this study, maize stover biochar improved all the soil chemical properties. Compared to the control, pH significantly increased by 27% in the 27.6 t ha-1 while total N increased by 35.6% in the 13.8 t ha-1. Although P was significantly low in the 3.5 t ha-1, 6.9 t ha-1 and 13.8 t ha-1, it increased by 3.9% in the 27.6 t ha-1. Exchangeable K was significantly increased by 42.7% and 56.7% in the 13.8 t ha-1 and 27.6 t ha-1 respectively. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were also higher in the biochar treatment than the control. Results also showed that plant height, shoot weight, and all yield parameters were significantly higher in the inorganic fertilizer treatment than in the 3.5, 6.9, and 13.8 t ha-1 treatments. Interestingly, maize stover biochar at 27. 6 t ha-1 increased fruit yield by 16.1% compared to the control suggesting it could be used as an alternative to inorganic fertilizer. CONCLUSIONS: Maize stover biochar applied at 27.6 t ha-1 improved soil chemical properties especially pH, N, P and K promoting growth and yield of tomatoes. Therefore, maize stover biochar could be recommended as an alternative to expensive inorganic fertilizers for tomato production in Northern Uganda.

Physiological functions, pharmacological aspects and nutritional importance of green tomato- a future food.

Green tomatoes contain significant levels of steroidal glycoalkoids (SGA) such as α-tomatine and green pigment chlorophyll. Tomatine is an admixture of two glycoalkoids; alpha tomatine and dehydrotomatine reported various health beneficial biological activities. Moreover, a hydrolyzed product of tomatine also contributes to age-related atrophy, and muscle weakness and helps the elderly recover from illness and injuries related to age. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the absorption of tomatine in the human body concerning proposed biological activity, which should be an area of interest in the future. Once, the absorption study is established compounds concentrated in green tomatoes are potentially involved as protective compounds for several diseases and also used for functional food. To facilitate the use of green tomatoes in food processing, this comprehensive review provides data on the nutritional value of green tomatoes, with emphasis on the evolution of the physiological chemistry, analytical, medicinal, and pharmacological effects of the α-tomatine and chlorophyll in an experimental model. The broad aim of this review is to evaluate the health benefits of green tomatoes in addition to their nutritional value and to study the several features of the role of α-tomatine and chlorophyll in human health.

Distinct Phyllosphere Microbiome of Wild Tomato Species in Central Peru upon Dysbiosis.

Plants are colonized by myriads of microbes across kingdoms, which affect host development, fitness, and reproduction. Hence, plant microbiomes have been explored across a broad range of host species, including model organisms, crops, and trees under controlled and natural conditions. Tomato is one of the world's most important vegetable crops; however, little is known about the microbiota of wild tomato species. To obtain insights into the tomato microbiota occurring in natural environments, we sampled epiphytic microbes from leaves of four tomato species, Solanum habrochaites, S. corneliomulleri, S. peruvianum, and S. pimpinellifolium, from two geographical locations within the Lima region of Peru over 2 consecutive years. Here, a high-throughput sequencing approach was applied to investigate microbial compositions including bacteria, fungi, and eukaryotes across tomato species and geographical locations. The phyllosphere microbiome composition varies between hosts and location. Yet, we identified persistent microbes across tomato species that form the tomato microbial core community. In addition, we phenotypically defined healthy and dysbiotic samples and performed a downstream analysis to reveal the impact on microbial community structures. To do so, we compared microbial diversities, unique OTUs, relative abundances of core taxa, and microbial hub taxa, as well as co-occurrence network characteristics in healthy and dysbiotic tomato leaves and found that dysbiosis affects the phyllosphere microbial composition in a host species-dependent manner. Yet, overall, the present data suggests an enrichment of plant-promoting microbial taxa in healthy leaves, whereas numerous microbial taxa containing plant pathogens occurred in dysbiotic leaves.Concluding, we identify the core phyllosphere microbiome of wild tomato species, and show that the overall phyllosphere microbiome can be impacted by sampling time point, geographical location, host genotype, and plant health. Future studies in these components will help understand the microbial contribution to plant health in natural systems and can be of use in cultivated tomatoes.

Fruit setting rewires central metabolism via gibberellin cascades.

Fruit set is the process whereby ovaries develop into fruits after pollination and fertilization. The process is induced by the phytohormone gibberellin (GA) in tomatoes, as determined by the constitutive GA response mutant procera However, the role of GA on the metabolic behavior in fruit-setting ovaries remains largely unknown. This study explored the biochemical mechanisms of fruit set using a network analysis of integrated transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and enzyme activity data. Our results revealed that fruit set involves the activation of central carbon metabolism, with increased hexoses, hexose phosphates, and downstream metabolites, including intermediates and derivatives of glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and associated organic and amino acids. The network analysis also identified the transcriptional hub gene SlHB15A, that coordinated metabolic activation. Furthermore, a kinetic model of sucrose metabolism predicted that the sucrose cycle had high activity levels in unpollinated ovaries, whereas it was shut down when sugars rapidly accumulated in vacuoles in fruit-setting ovaries, in a time-dependent manner via tonoplastic sugar carriers. Moreover, fruit set at least partly required the activity of fructokinase, which may pull fructose out of the vacuole, and this could feed the downstream pathways. Collectively, our results indicate that GA cascades enhance sink capacities, by up-regulating central metabolic enzyme capacities at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. This leads to increased sucrose uptake and carbon fluxes for the production of the constituents of biomass and energy that are essential for rapid ovary growth during the initiation of fruit set.

Accumulation and metabolism of pyroxasulfone in tomato seedlings.

Pyroxasulfone (PYS) is an isoxazole herbicide favored for its high activity. However, the metabolic mechanism of PYS in tomato plants and the response mechanism of tomato to PYS are still lacking. In this study, it was found that tomato seedlings had a strong ability to absorb and translocate PYS from roots to shoots. The highest accumulation of PYS was in the apex tissue of the tomato shoots. Using UPLC-MS/MS, five metabolites of PYS were detected and identified in tomato plants, and their relative contents in different parts of tomato plants varied greatly. The serine conjugate, DMIT [5, 5-dimethyl-4, 5-dihydroisoxazole-3-thiol (DMIT)] &Ser, was the most abundant metabolites of PYS in tomato plants. In tomato plants, the conjugation of thiol-containing metabolic intermediates of PYS to serine may mimic the cystathionine ß-synthase-catalyzed condensation of serine and homocysteine (in the pathway sly00260 sourced from KEGG database). This study ground breakingly proposed that serine may play an important role in plant metabolism of PYS and fluensulfone (whose molecular structure is similar to PYS). PYS and atrazine (whose toxicity profile is similar to PYS but not conjugate with serine) produced different regulatory outcomes for endogenous compounds in the pathway sly00260. Differential metabolites in tomato leaves exposed to PYS compared with the control, including amino acids, phosphates, and flavonoids, may play important roles in tomato response to PYS stress. This study provides inspiration for the biotransformation of sulfonyl-containing pesticides, antibiotics and other compounds in plants.

Beneficial Effects of Pleurotus citrinopileatus Polysaccharide on the Quality of Cherry Tomatoes During Storage.

Cherry tomatoes are highly well-liked and have a lot of nutritional value. However, the edible value of cherry tomatoes rapidly declines as their storage duration is extended. Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharide (PCP) is a kind of polysaccharide obtained from P. citrinopileatus by water extraction. The effects of PCP were investigated to identify a way to maximally postpone cherry tomato degradation. The results showed that PCP had inhibitory effects on all 10 tested strains, and the inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the strongest. PCP could effectively reduce the weight loss rate and malondialdehyde accumulation of cherry tomatoes during storage, weaken the activity of polyphenol oxidase, and delay the decline of hardness, titratable acid content, and VC content compared with untreated cherry tomatoes. PCP solution at a concentration of 2 g/L exerted the best preservation effects. Therefore, PCP can potentially contribute to the preservation of vegetables and fruits.

The Antioxidant Potential of Tomato Plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Nano-ZnO Treatment.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most valuable horticulture crops, consumed in both its raw and processed forms. To increase yield and efficiency, conventional and organic fertilizers are utilized in modern agriculture. Traditional fertilizers increase crop yield but are harmful to the environment. These circumstances motivate the pursuit of an alternate solution. The purpose of this research was to investigate how the application of nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) combined with conventional fertilizer influence tomato plants' development, including the antioxidant potential of cultivated plants. Three factors such as different types of cultivars, dosage of applied nano-ZnO solution and the method of nanoparticles application were implemented. Multiple analysis of selected antioxidants content and their activities such as malondialdehyde (MDA), flavonoids, polyphenols, ascorbic acid, peroxidase (POX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) or catalase (CAT) were analyzed. The obtained data exhibited that all examined parameters were strongly dependent on three implemented factors: concentration of nano-ZnO suspension, the type of cultivated tomato and the method of nanoparticles application. For instance, the accumulation of MDA in cultivated plants was different among plants under nanoparticles treatment, but in one specific case (Malinowy Bossman cultivar treated with 50 mg/L nano-ZnO suspension) the content of this marker was decreased by 34% in comparison to the corresponding control. Nevertheless, the results presented in this study showed that the usage of certain doses of nano-ZnO suspension may increase the antioxidant potential of tomato plants.

Isomers of the Tomato Glycoalkaloids α-Tomatine and Dehydrotomatine: Relationship to Health Benefits.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of three commercial tomatine samples and another isolated from green tomatoes revealed the presence of two small peaks in addition to those associated with the glycoalkaloids dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. The present study investigated the possible structures of the compounds associated with the two small peaks using HPLC-mass spectrophotometric (MS) methods. Although the two peaks elute much earlier on chromatographic columns than the elution times of the known tomato glycoalkaloids dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine, isolation of the two compounds by preparative chromatography and subsequent analysis by MS shows the two compounds have identical molecular weights, tetrasaccharide side chains, and MS and MS/MS fragmentation patterns to dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. We suggest the two isolated compounds are isomeric forms of dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. The analytical data indicate that widely used commercial tomatine preparations and those extracted from green tomatoes and tomato leaves consist of a mixture of α-tomatine, dehydrotomatine, an α-tomatine isomer, and a dehydrotomatine isomer in an approximate ratio of 81:15:4:1, respectively. The significance of the reported health benefits of tomatine and tomatidine is mentioned.

Criteria and methodologies for determining the causes of swelling of canned tomatoes in tinplate containers.

This review provides the current laboratory criteria for the detection and evaluation of the possible causes of alteration of non-concentrated industrial derivatives of tomatoes (peeled tomatoes, pulps, purees, sauces, and fillets), packaged in coated or uncoated tinplate cans. We discuss how the product alterations are typically the consequence of technological errors either in the can production, or in the storage process, or in the product sterilization. The described procedures include the quantitative determination of the distribution of gases (H2 , CO2 , N2 , and O2 ) present in the headspace of the container. The gas composition and ratios can be used as markers to allow easy diagnosis of the causes of microbiologic and/or physical-chemical alterations of the tomatoes, which are usually made evident by swelling of the containers. These tests should be integrated by microbiological analyses aimed at a restricted group of microorganisms, with the chemical analysis of the container and the chemical analysis of the altered product. By way of example, we report the assessment of the causes of alteration in four different case-studies.

A New Biological Product Shows Promising Control of the Northern Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, in Greenhouse Tomatoes.

Tomato plants are susceptible to significant yield losses when infested by the northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla. While there are many options for conventional chemical management, few of these options offer effective control for organic growers or those who seek to adopt more environmentally considerate strategies. In this study, we showed that a new, biologically based product (referred to as "MN21.2") has potential for controlling populations of the northern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne hapla, as a pest of susceptible tomato (cv. Rutgers) in a greenhouse trial. This is significant because if this product's efficacy is supported under field conditions, it may provide organic tomato growers with a valuable tool for fighting the plant-parasitic nematode pest, M. hapla.

Smart control of soil water and salt content for improving irrigation management of tomato crop field: Kairouan area.

A good assessment of soil water and salt content is required for sustainable irrigation with brackish/saline water. The use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has been initiated for the tomato crop (Savera variety) as part of the PRIMA MEDITOMATO project. An experiment was carried out between February and June 2022 at a farmer's site. For continuous soil water and salt content assessment, TEROS (11/12) probes were implemented at depths of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 60 cm. The data logging process was performed by a ZL6 device and delivered by the ZENTRA Cloud web application (METER GROUPE Company). For the accuracy of the introduced sensors, calibration tests were first processed. Results of the calibration of the probes in the laboratory and in situ showed linear relationships between the humidity values measured by ZL6 (θZL6) and those determined by the gravimetric method, with high correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.86 and 0.96, respectively. There were also strong linear relationships between the ECbulk(ZL6) and the ECe measured on saturated paste extract with high correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.96 and 0.95. Corrected data, according to the determined linear regression equations, present the real-time assessment of soil water and salt content over the entire growth stage of tomatoes. The results of this monitoring showed that soil water content remained close to its status at field capacity (32%) at the beginning of the assessment and increased with the intensification of irrigation, reaching 46 and 54% at 20 and 30 cm, respectively, around mid-April. The salinity level was greater with depth. Indeed, it was low in topsoil with the increase in irrigation frequency and higher at 30 and 60 cm toward the end of the tomato cycle. According to this study, real-time data given by ZENTRA Cloud allows us to adjust irrigation management on time.