Integrated strategies for enhanced drought tolerance in tomato: from molecular mechanisms to field applications
Abstract
Drought stress is a major abiotic constraint on agricultural production, and cultivated tomato varieties are generally sensitive to water deficit. This review systematically summarizes the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying tomato drought responses. It also integrates recent high-impact insights to advance our understanding of this topic. It then surveys multidimensional improvement strategies. These include biostimulants, chemical regulators, nanomaterials, grafting, water management, and genetic engineering approaches such as transgenesis and CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing. Current research faces bottlenecks in translating laboratory findings to field applications, particularly due to the inherent trade-off between drought tolerance and fruit yield and quality. To address this challenge, we propose a framework that integrates several key components: precision editing tools (e.g. base editing and promoter editing), tissue-specific or stress-inducible expression systems, and parallel phenotyping of yield components and fruit quality traits under both well-watered and drought conditions. This framework is designed to balance stress resilience with productivity. Moving forward, a systematic multidisciplinary approach is required to overcome this trade-off, enabling water-efficient, stable-yielding, and high-quality sustainable tomato production. This review provides an integrative perspective and forward-looking guidance for future research and practical applications.
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BibTeX
@article{ma2026integrated,
title = {{Integrated strategies for enhanced drought tolerance in tomato: from molecular mechanisms to field applications}},
author = {Li Ma and Huiru Wang and Bin Zhang and Yanan Guo and Siying Ou and Yue Tian and Meng Guo},
journal = {Horticulture research},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1093/hr/uhag227},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722865},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrated strategies for enhanced drought tolerance in tomato: from molecular mechanisms to field applications
AU - Li Ma
AU - Huiru Wang
AU - Bin Zhang
AU - Yanan Guo
AU - Siying Ou
AU - Yue Tian
AU - Meng Guo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/05
JO - Horticulture research
DO - 10.1093/hr/uhag227
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722865
AB - Drought stress is a major abiotic constraint on agricultural production, and cultivated tomato varieties are generally sensitive to water deficit. This review systematically summarizes the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying tomato drought responses. It also integrates recent high-impact insights to advance our understanding of this topic. It then surveys multidimensional improvement strategies. These include biostimulants, chemical regulators, nanomaterials, grafting, water management, and genetic engineering approaches such as transgenesis and CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing. Current research faces bottlenecks in translating laboratory findings to field applications, particularly due to the inherent trade-off between drought tolerance and fruit yield and quality. To address this challenge, we propose a framework that integrates several key components: precision editing tools (e.g. base editing and promoter editing), tissue-specific or stress-inducible expression systems, and parallel phenotyping of yield components and fruit quality traits under both well-watered and drought conditions. This framework is designed to balance stress resilience with productivity. Moving forward, a systematic multidisciplinary approach is required to overcome this trade-off, enabling water-efficient, stable-yielding, and high-quality sustainable tomato production. This review provides an integrative perspective and forward-looking guidance for future research and practical applications.
SN - 2662-6810
SN - 2052-7276
ER -