Sustainable Fertilization with Ramial Chipped Wood Enhances Antioxidant Profiles in Tomato Varieties: An Untargeted Metabolomics Approach
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Tomatoes are among the most consumed vegetables within the Mediterranean diet, recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world. This study evaluated the effects of four fertilization treatments on the antioxidant and metabolic profiles of four local tomato varieties: Cornabel (V1), Cuban Pepper (V2), Corno Andino (V3), and Roli Rosa (V4). Treatment 1 (T1) used 1.28 kg/m2 of commercial woody compost (C/N ratio 13), while Treatment 2 (T2) served as the control, initially without fertilization. Treatments 3 and 4 (T3, T4) incorporated ramial chipped wood (RCW) at 15 kg/m2 and 7.5 kg/m2, respectively, without tillage. Each treatment × variety combination included four biological replicates (n = 4). Untargeted metabolomic profiling via UHPLC-QToF and statistical analyses identified 163 compounds, 37 of which showed significant varietal differences (p < 0.05). The flavonoid eriodictyol was more abundant in the Pebroter varieties (V1, V2, V3), whereas luteolin-8-O-glucoside (orientin) predominated in V4, likely due to differential expression of biosynthetic genes. RCW (T3) yielded higher levels of antioxidant compounds like phenolic acids, and flavonoids compared to compost and control; however, no dose–response was observed using different doses of RCW (T3 and T4). These findings demonstrate that RCW may modulate the antioxidant metabolite profile of tomatoes, highlighting its potential as a sustainable fertilization strategy for enhancing antioxidant compounds.
Source: Antioxidants
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,499
Funders: Indian National Science Academy, Joint Programming Initiative A healthy diet for a healthy life, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Generalitat de Catalunya, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Awards: G1614185211, G1719815665, G195927840, G2262748287, G2703024210, G3005324705, G3155581185, G3480869486, G3520960853, G3681454997, G4040736324, G4042783231, G411077191, G425668148, G451917667, G464105488, G4849194249, G4871931875, G507957923, G517597277, G5282537811, G5338730000, G5384122312, G5635532810, G5680818147, G5829139185, G5843814567, G5852091828, G5967599077, G6033112984, G6118751606, G6720145430, G6731524417, G7084143925, G7429365764, G7492906535, G7863371703, G8122660236, G8497050386, G8581006798, G8667377315
OpenAlex ID: W4415923789