Application of Phenomics to Elucidate the Influence of Rootstocks on Drought Response of Tomato

The cultivation of nutritionally and economically important crops like tomato are often threatened by dry spells due to drought as these largely depend on an assured water supply. magnitude intensity is predicted intensify under climate change scenarios, particularly in semi-arid regions, where already a scarce resource. Hence, it imperative devise strategies mitigate the adverse effects through improvement plant’s efficiency utilise moisture growth medium. Since root entry point for water, its intrinsic structure functions play crucial role maintaining soil–water–plant continuum during deficit at rhizosphere. Grafting offers great opportunity replace system cultivated plants with that wild species hence provide rapid solution modulate architecture contrast time-consuming conventional breeding approach. However, success developing best graft combination rootstock depends source selection methods. In this study, we used high throughput phenomics facility assess tomato, grafted rootstocks different genetic backgrounds, levels soil. Rootstocks included cultivars hybrids, derived from crosses involving relatives, donor parents. Among rootstocks, interspecific (Solanum lycopersicum × S. pennellii) derivative RF4A was highly efficient terms productive use water. rootstock-grafted were more conservative higher plant status relatively better stomatal regulation generating greater biomass stress conditions. These could maintain level PSII efficiency, signifying photosynthetic even stress. distinct response rootstock, RF4A, can be ascribed effective acquired parent (S. pennellii), uptake. Overall, demonstrated platform developed protocol identify promising rootstock–scion combinations optimization use.