Abstract
• Tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish irrigation are strongly influenced by substrate type. • A commercial soilless substrate maintained higher porosity and supported greater root activity under salinity stress. • Moderate brackish irrigation (3 mS/cm) improved fruit sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids without reducing yield. • Principal component and discriminant analyses revealed substrate as the primary driver of trait variability. • Structural equation modeling identified substrate porosity and root activity as key determinants of yield performance. The sustainable use of brackish water in protected horticulture requires a clear understanding of how substrate properties influence plant responses to salinity. This study evaluated the effects of three irrigation water salinity levels (0,3, and 5 mS/cm) and three cultivation substrates, loamy soil (SO), sandy soil (SA), and commercial substrate (SU), on substrate properties, nutrient dynamics, and tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth, yield, and fruit quality. Saline irrigation increased substrate EC, pH, and ion accumulation while reducing porosity and water-holding capacity. SU maintained superior physical structure and nutrient availability, supporting higher root activity and yield across salinity levels. SO showed greater salt retention but suffered substantial yield loss under high salinity. Moderate salinity (3 mS/cm) enhanced sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids content in most substrates. However, vitamin C and nitrate concentrations did not differ significantly among treatments, indicating trait-specific insensitivity to substrate or salinity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed substrate type as the dominant factor shaping trait variation, while Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) separated salinity levels using nine key traits. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) identified root activity and substrate porosity as major drivers of yield, while ion content influenced fruit quality components. These findings suggest that moderate brackish irrigation, when paired with substrates that enhance root function and nutrient use efficiency, can support sustainable tomato production without compromising quality.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
The commercial substrate supported higher root activity and yield across salinity levels.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- SUe1
- Outcome
- root activity and yielde1
- Direction
- highere1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e1“SU maintained superior physical structure and nutrient availability, supporting higher root activity and yield across salinity levels”
Claim · model-written summary
The commercial substrate maintained superior physical structure and nutrient availability.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- SUe1
- Outcome
- physical structure and nutrient availabilitye1
- Direction
- superiore1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e1“SU maintained superior physical structure and nutrient availability, supporting higher root activity and yield across salinity levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Loamy soil showed greater salt retention than other substrates.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- SOe2
- Outcome
- salt retentione2
- Direction
- greatere2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e2“SO showed greater salt retention but suffered substantial yield loss under high salinity”
Claim · model-written summary
Loamy soil suffered substantial yield loss under high salinity.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- high salinitye2
- Outcome
- yielde2
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e2“SO showed greater salt retention but suffered substantial yield loss under high salinity”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate salinity (3 mS/cm) enhanced sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids content in most substrates.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Moderate salinity (3 mS/cm)e3
- Outcome
- sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids contente3
- Direction
- enhancede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e3“Moderate salinity (3 mS/cm) enhanced sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids content in most substrates”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate brackish irrigation (3 mS/cm) did not reduce tomato yield.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Moderate brackish irrigation (3 mS/cm)e6
- Outcome
- yielde6
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e6“Moderate brackish irrigation (3 mS/cm) improved fruit sugar–acid ratio and soluble solids without reducing yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Vitamin C and nitrate concentrations did not differ significantly among treatments in tomato.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- vitamin C and nitrate concentrationse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e5“vitamin C and nitrate concentrations did not differ significantly among treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Substrate type was the dominant factor shaping tomato trait variation.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- substrate typee6
- Outcome
- trait variatione6
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e6“Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed substrate type as the dominant factor shaping trait variation”
Claim · model-written summary
Linear discriminant analysis separated salinity levels using nine key traits.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- salinity levelse6
- Outcome
- separated salinity levelse6
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e6“Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) separated salinity levels using nine key traits”
Claim · model-written summary
Root activity and substrate porosity were major drivers of tomato yield.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- root activity and substrate porositye7
- Outcome
- yielde7
- Direction
- increaseinferrede7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e7“Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) identified root activity and substrate porosity as major drivers of yield, while ion content influenced fruit quality components”
Claim · model-written summary
Ion content influenced tomato fruit quality components.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- ion contente7
- Outcome
- fruit quality componentse7
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e7“Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) identified root activity and substrate porosity as major drivers of yield, while ion content influenced fruit quality components”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline irrigation increased substrate EC, pH and ion accumulation.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Saline irrigatione4
- Outcome
- substrate EC, pH, and ion accumulatione4
- Direction
- increasede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e4“Saline irrigation increased substrate EC, pH, and ion accumulation while reducing porosity and water-holding capacity”
Claim · model-written summary
Saline irrigation reduced substrate porosity and water-holding capacity.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Saline irrigatione4
- Outcome
- porosity and water-holding capacitye4
- Direction
- reducinge4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e4“Saline irrigation increased substrate EC, pH, and ion accumulation while reducing porosity and water-holding capacity”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate brackish irrigation with root-supporting substrates can support sustainable tomato production without compromising quality.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- sustainable tomato productione7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Substrate type modulates tomato yield and fruit quality under brackish water irrigation”
e7“These findings suggest that moderate brackish irrigation, when paired with substrates that enhance root function and nutrient use efficiency, can support sustainable tomato production without compromising quality”
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See all 6 papers →8 of 9 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.