Italian Tomato Cultivars under Drought Stress Show Different Content of Bioactives in Pulp and Peel of Fruits

Background: This study aims to evaluate the performance, in terms of accumulation of antioxidant compounds in fruits, of nine local and three commercial Italian tomato cultivars subjected to drought stress. The same local cultivars had been previously studied at morpho-physiological level. Methods: The present manuscript analyzes drought stress as a tool to increase the amount of secondary metabolites that can enhance fruit quality. Nutraceutical characterization of the fruits was performed by analyzing the content of antioxidants, phenols, flavonoids, lycopene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), rutin, caffeic acid, and naringenin. At the same time, plant sensitivity to stress during the reproductive phase was monitored in terms of flower abscission, fruit drop, and seed germination. Results: Perina turns out to be the tomato cultivar with the best nutraceutical properties in the absence of stress while the Quarantino cultivar is so for flavonoid content (control plants) and lycopene and vitamin C content (stressed plants). Perina and Quarantino are the cultivars with the best response to drought and Perina has the highest concentrations of bioactives. Quarantino responds most effectively to stress in the reproductive phase. Conclusions: data confirm that drought stress increases bioactive production in some local cultivars of tomato, which produce higher quality fruits.