Summary
A two-year open field trial examined how drip irrigation affected both yield and antioxidant profiles in processing cherry tomatoes (Strombolino F1). Irrigated plants produced substantially higher marketable yields (61–101% increase), but fruits from irrigated plants showed lower concentrations of carotenoids, polyphenols, and tocopherols compared with rain-fed controls, with strong negative correlations observed for rutin and α-tocopherol. Despite lower antioxidant concentration per fruit, irrigation increased total antioxidant production per unit area owing to the yield advantage, suggesting a trade-off between individual fruit quality and system-level antioxidant output.
Regional applicability
The findings from this Hungarian field trial may be applicable to temperate and continental climates with similar growing seasons, though UK growers would need to evaluate whether cherry tomato production systems, irrigation scheduling, and rainfall patterns align with this study's conditions. The trade-off between yield and individual fruit phytochemical density is relevant to UK processing tomato cultivation practices.
Key measures
Marketable yield (%), carotenoids (all trans, cis lycopene, β-carotene), total polyphenols, individual polyphenols (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, quercetin, rutin, naringin), tocopherols (α-tocopherol), carotenoid composition, correlations between water supply and phytochemical concentrations
Outcomes reported
The study measured marketable yield, carotenoid composition (lycopene, β-carotene), polyphenol concentrations (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, quercetin, rutin, naringin), and tocopherol levels in processing cherry tomatoes under irrigated versus rain-fed conditions. Yield and antioxidant outcomes were evaluated across two growing seasons.
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