Eggplant Rootstock Grafting Enhances Tomato Fruit Sweetness and Nutritional Value via Metabolic Reprogramming.

ABSTRACT: Small tomatoes are an important economic fruit crop. Strategies to rapidly and stably improve their taste and nutritional quality are of significant economic value. This study evaluated grafting tomato scion ZheYingFen1 (ZYF1) onto eggplant rootstocks (ZheQie117 or ZheQie10). Comprehensive metabolomics and targeted assays demonstrated that grafting substantially increased fructose and glucose levels, thereby enhancing sweetness compared with self-rooted controls. Lycopene content rose significantly, particularly with the ZQ117 rootstock, without elevating key organic acids linked to sourness. Conversely, most free amino acids decreased, including umami-associated glutamate. Energy metabolite profiling showed graft-specific shifts, with pronounced enrichment in sulfur-containing glucosinola

SUBMITTER: Ruan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12800924 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature