1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.19
Published online: 4 October 2024

How does a low oxygen environment impact the tomato fruit cell walls?
Nataliia Kutyrieva-Nowak¹*, Agata Leszczuk¹, Artur Nowak²,
Artur Nosalewicz¹, Artur Zdunek¹

¹ Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland
² Department of Industrial and Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
The concentration of oxygen is a key factor in the storage of fruit in a controlled atmosphere. During the decrease oxygen concentration signalling pathways and adaptive responses are activated, such as reducing the metabolic rate to limited oxygen consumption and morphological changes to enhance oxygen intake. The optimal storage concentration of oxygen for fruits is 1.5–3%. Oxygen concentrations lower than 1% cause tissue damage by increasing ethylene production (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03562.x). Therefore, it is essential to closely monitor and control oxygen levels to ensure optimal ripening and storage conditions. This work aimed to identify the cell wall components which are involved in the fruit response on changes in the oxygen level. The research material was tomato Solanum lycopersicum cv. ‘Moneymaker’ fruit at two ripening stages (Breaker and Red Ripe). The fruit were stored under different oxygen conditions (anoxia 0%, hypoxia 5%, and normoxia 21%) for 24 h and 72 h. Microscopic and molecular studies were performed according to our previous technical protocols (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-01100-3). The first analysis, involving the evaluation of morphological changes, did not reveal significant modifications in fruit tissues after 24 h of oxygen stress. Longer storage under stressful conditions causes cracks in fruit skin. Microscopic analyses with immunofluorescence labelling showed differences between the control samples and samples stored under low oxygen conditions. The most significant modifications were in the disturbed distributions of arabinogalactan protein (AGP) and homogalacturonan (HG). Fruit at the Breaker stage were less susceptible to anoxia and hypoxia conditions than at the Red Ripe fruit stage. Quantitative analyses of extensin, AGPs, rhamnogalacturonan-I, unesterified HG and esterified HG content were compatible with microscopic results. The first symptoms of response were noted after 24 hours, but only after 72 hours more crucial deviations were visible. Storage under anoxia and hypoxia conditions reduced the content of unesterified HG and increased the content of esterified HG. Fruit storage in 5% oxygen concentration also influenced the presence of AGPs at both ripening stages. Compared to fruit from the control experiment, those after 24h and 72h exposures contained a lower amount of AGPs. The results indicate the impact of low oxygen concentrations on fruit molecular structure. The 5% oxygen concentration slows down the ripening process and 0% oxygen accelerates the changes taking place during ripening.
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support by the National Science Center Poland (NCN, 2020/39/D/NZ9/00232).

Keywords: cell wall, fruit, hypoxia, anoxia, ripening process

How to cite
Kutyrieva-Nowak N., Leszczuk A., Nowak A., Nosalewicz A., Zdunek A., 2024. How does a low oxygen environment impact the tomato fruit cell walls?. 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.19