Metabolite analysis for the comparison of irrigated and non-irrigated field grown tomato of varying genotype

Every year the consequences of water deficit on crop yield and quality are profound. The observation that many wild species relatives of cultivated crops display a greater stress tolerance and the fact that the cultivated species generally display only a fraction of the allelic diversity available within the tomato clade suggest that crossing of wild species with elite cultivars could improve the stress physiology of modern crops. To assess this from the basis of chemical composition we applied an established GC-MS based metabolite profiling method to fruits from irrigated and non-irrigated tomato plants either of the cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) or of its hybrid with its wild species relative (Solanum pennellii). Results are discussed in terms of both the metabolic response to drought stress and the potential of utilizing exotic germplasm as a means to improve agronomically important characteristics of crop species.