Induction of heat stress tolerance in economically important Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): A review on current knowledge

Abstract

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are common foods that provide essential calories, vitamins, and minerals to almost 80% of
the global population. Concerns about the impact of rising temperatures on tomato production have intensified as a result of
recent global climate change. Heat stress disrupts the plant's critical physiological and biochemical processes. High
temperatures suppress photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll concentration, as well as pollen germination, fruit set, and
ripening. Heat stress accumulates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause significant oxidative destruction to the crop.
Heat shock proteins are produced swiftly by plants to reduce the effects of heat stress. A variety of factors determine heat
tolerance including chlorophyll fluorescence, canopy temperature, membrane stability, plant water status, secondary
metabolite synthesis, antioxidants, and associated enzymes. Knowledge of heat stress impact and tolerance at the biochemical,
physiological, morphological, and molecular level at various growth phases (from seed germination to harvest) is critical for
developing new crop types that can cope with future climate. To better understand the process underpinning stress tolerance
and the generation of heat-tolerant cultivars, further research on the advanced genetic approaches like genome wide association
mapping (GWAS), microarray, CRISPR Cas gene knockout editing and virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) in tomato
seedlings under heat stress is required. © 2021 Department of Agricultural Sciences, AIOU