Abstract
Although hydrogen gas (H(2))-treated soil improves crop biomass, this approach appears difficult for field application due to the flammability of H(2) gas. In this report, we investigated whether and how H(2) applied in hydrogen nanobubble water (HNW) improves the yield and quality of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme) with and without fertilizers. Two-year-long field trials showed that compared to corresponding controls, HNW without and with fertilizers improved the cherry tomato yield per plant by 39.7% and 26.5% in 2021 (Shanghai), respectively, and by 39.4% and 28.2% in 2023 (Nanjing), respectively. Compared to surface water (SW), HNW increased the soil available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) consumption regardless of fertilizer application, which may be attributed to the increased NPK transport-related genes in roots (LeAMT2, LePT2, LePT5, and SlHKT1,1). Furthermore, HNW-irrigated cherry tomatoes displayed a higher sugar-acid ratio (8.6%) and lycopene content (22.3%) than SW-irrigated plants without fertilizers. Importantly, the beneficial effects of HNW without fertilizers on the yield per plant (9.1%), sugar-acid ratio (31.1%), and volatiles (20.0%) and lycopene contents (54.3%) were stronger than those achieved using fertilizers alone. In short, this study clearly indicated that HNW-supplied H(2) not only exhibited a fertilization effect on enhancing the tomato yield, but also improved the fruit's quality with a lower carbon footprint.