Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.06.28.176487

Variability in Fruit Yield and Quality of Genetically Diverse Tomato Cultivars in Response to Different Biochars

Tenic, E.·Isaac, D.·Ghogare, R.·Dhingra, A.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Background Intensive agricultural practices have reduced soil health thereby negatively impacting crop yields. There is a need to maintain healthy soils and restore marginal lands to ensure efficient food production. Biochar, a porous carbon-rich material generated from pyrolysis of various feedstock sources is receiving attention as a soil amendment that has the potential to restore soil organic carbon content and also enhance crop yields. However, the physical and chemical properties of biochar are influenced by pyrolysis parameters. These in turn determine its interaction with the soil, thereby influencing its biological properties in terms of impact on soil microcosm and plant productivity. While most studies report the evaluation of one biochar and a single plant cultivar, the role of the plant’s genetic background in responding to biochar as a soil amendment remains unanswered. The impact of six distinct biochars on agronomic performance and fruit quality of three genetically diverse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars was evaluated to test the hypotheses that 1) biochars derived from different feedstock sources would produce unique phenotypes in a single cultivar of tomato, and 2) single feedstock-derived BC would produce different phenotypes in each of the three tomato cultivars.Results Different biochars impacted shoot dry weight, total fruit weight, and yield per plant in each cultivar differently. Both positive and negative effects were observed depending on the biochar-cultivar combination. In ‘Oregon Spring’, Ryegrass straw and CoolTerra biochar enhanced yield. In ‘Heinz’, an increase in fruit weight and citric acid was observed with several of the biochars. In ‘Cobra’, improved yields were accompanied by reduction in fruit quality parameters. Both hypotheses were supported by the data.Conclusions This study demonstrated that the genetic background of a plant is an important variable in determining the outcome of using biochar as a soil amendment. Strategies for application of biochar in agricultural production should consider the variables of soil type, feedstock source, pyrolysis parameters and plant genetic background for enhancing crop productivity and carbon sequestration.Competing Interest StatementAD serves as a consultant for AgEnergy Solutions, a biochar production startup company based in Spokane, WA, USA. AgEnergy Solutions had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.AbbreviationsBCBiocharSOMsoil organic matterSOCsoil organic carbonCTCool Terra®RGSRyegrass strawRGTRyegrass tailingsRTRussian thistleTMPThermomechanical pulpWWalnutSEMScanning Electron MicroscopyEXenergy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy – EDXw/wweight/weightHigh Pressure SodiumHPStotal soluble solidsTSSNnitrogenPphosphorusKpotassiumCacalciumSsulfurMgmagnesiumMomolybdenumSisiliconClchlorineNasodiumAlaluminumView Full Text

Explore related subjects

plant biologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Tenic, E., Isaac, D., Ghogare, R., Dhingra, A.. 2020-06-29. Variability in Fruit Yield and Quality of Genetically Diverse Tomato Cultivars in Response to Different Biochars. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.28.176487

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

In-cell structural analysis reveals a distinctive chloroplast ribosome in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Chloroplast ribosomes synthesize plastid-encoded components of photosynthetic machinery, yet their structure and organization remain poorly understood. We combined cryo-focused ion beam milling, cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging to determine native chloroplast ribosomes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The 4.4-4.9 [A] structure revealed a large arch-like extension on the small subunit (SSU). Comparisons with bacterial and plant chloroplast ribosomes, supported by proteomics, AlphaFold3 predictions and a recent atomic model, indicate that the arch is formed by insertions and extensions in SSU proteins. Classification resolved active, thylakoid-associated ribosomes with density adjacent to the nascent peptide exit and an arch-moved state enriched among thylakoid-associated particles, with coordinated displacement of the arch and beak. Phylogenetic analysis revealed an evolutionary mosaic: the uS3c insertion is broadly distributed across Chlorophyceae, whereas the uS2c insertion, uS5c and PSRP7 are concentrated in Chlamydomonadales, with PSRP7 also in Sphaeropleales. Nuclear-encoded components were recruited stepwise onto a plastid-encoded scaffold, with all four under comparable purifying selection. These findings link a lineage-specific SSU extension to ribosome dynamics, thylakoid association and evolution, highlighting the value of in-cell structural analysis.

plant biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Implementation and calibration of the Vaganov-Shashkin model in the virtualRings R package

Process-based tree growth models provide a mechanistic framework for investigating how climate conditions regulate tree growth across daily to annual time scales. Yet, their broader application across species and environments is constrained by the limited accessibility in open-source environments and the difficulty of estimating physiological parameters that are rarely measured directly. Here, we present virtualRings, a new R package integrating the Vaganov-Shashkin model (VSM) and the RINGS3 models, and focus on the implementation and calibration of VSM. Using tree-ring width observations from seven Northern Hemisphere sites across various environmental conditions, we compared the traditional bootstrap-based calibration approach with the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). CMA-ES improved agreement between simulated and observed radial tree growth and provided an efficient approach for model parameter estimation. We further evaluated practical CMA-ES settings to balance computational cost and performance and discussed its potential limitations. The virtualRings package provides an open and reproducible platform for tree growth simulation, facilitating the application of important process-based models across species and environments and the investigation of how temperature and moisture constraints regulate daily tree-ring formation across spatial and temporal scales.

plant biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Timing of transient darkness shapes carbon-nitrogen metabolism and sugar signaling in sugarcane

Fluctuating light is common in field environments. Yet, the mechanisms by which C4 crops coordinate carbon and nitrogen metabolism during short-term carbon deprivation remain poorly understood. Here, we imposed transient darkness at different phases of the diel cycle to assess how the timing of light loss affects photosynthesis, carbohydrate turnover, amino acid dynamics, and sugar-sensing pathways in commercial sugarcane leaves. Early-day darkness significantly impaired photosynthetic induction and revealed a temporal disconnect between stomatal and metabolic limitations, whereas midday and late-day treatments caused temporary, time-specific disruptions in carbon assimilation. These shifts altered the balance between sucrose preservation and catabolic mobilization, leading to treatment-dependent changes in starch reserves and free amino acids. Core circadian components largely maintained their phase relationships, but their amplitudes varied across treatments, consistent with partial decoupling from carbon status. Darkness also reorganized energy signaling, with SnRK1 and DIN6 responses associated with greater declines in sucrose. Notably, trehalose-pathway transcripts showed marked changes in network connectivity, with ScTPSIIG consistently emerging as a highly connected candidate associated with photosynthetic performance, water-use traits, sugar sensing, and amino acid metabolism. Overall, these results indicate that the timing of carbon limitation and residual sucrose availability shape distinct metabolic responses, while trehalose metabolism provides a candidate regulatory layer coordinating carbon-nitrogen adjustment during the diel cycle, highlighting class II TPS proteins as targets for functional investigation of metabolic resilience in sugarcane.

plant biology↗