Summary of Understanding the Biostimulant Action of Vegetal-Derived Protein Hydrolysates by High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping and Metabolomics: A Case Study on Tomato
Biostimulant Effects on Tomato: Phenotyping and Metabolomics Insights
Exploring the Biostimulant Effects on Tomato Through Advanced Screening
Understanding Biostimulant Effects on Tomato requires rigorous testing and a clear view of how new products influence plant morpho-physiological traits. Moreover, researchers increasingly rely on omics-based approaches because they identify promising biostimulant substances more efficiently and at lower cost. Consequently, advanced screening strategies now play a central role in biostimulant development.
High-Throughput Phenotyping for Protein Hydrolysates
In this study, researchers applied a combined phenotyping–metabolomics protocol to evaluate vegetal-derived protein hydrolysates (PHs) on tomato plants. They sprayed eight PHs derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of Leguminosae and Brassicaceae seed proteins twice during the trial. Additionally, they included Triton X-100 in all solutions to ensure consistent application, and they used a water-based control for comparison. Throughout the experiment, automated non-invasive imaging platforms monitored plant growth, photosynthetic parameters, and color indices. Consequently, the team collected detailed and continuous data on plant performance.
Growth Enhancement and Physiological Responses
PH-treated plants generally produced more digital biomass. Moreover, PHs A and I significantly improved relative growth rate and overall growth performance compared to the control. However, kinetic chlorophyll fluorescence imaging did not reveal differences in photosynthetic efficiency, which suggests that PHs mainly influenced growth-related traits rather than photosynthetic machinery.
Metabolomics to Reveal Functional Mechanisms
Untargeted MS-based metabolomics helped researchers clarify the mechanisms of the most active PHs. The treatments modulated regulatory layers involving ethylene precursors, polyamines, and ROS-related signaling pathways. Furthermore, metabolomic patterns indicated that treated plants shifted their internal metabolism in response to PH application. Although these findings require further confirmation, they point toward a consistent metabolic reprogramming triggered by the tested biostimulants.
Integrating Phenotyping and Metabolomics for Stronger Biostimulant Research
Overall, this integrated approach strengthens efforts to characterize new biostimulant candidates. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive framework that connects morpho-physiological traits with metabolomic adjustments, thereby deepening our understanding of the mechanisms driving Biostimulant Effects on Tomato.
Publication: Frontiers in Plant Science
