Application of foliar fertilizer based on Mg, Zn and Se for biofortification and increase of shelf life in tomatões: conditions for harvesting and analysis evaluated by IoT

Abstract

Poor human nutrition increases predisposition and aggravates diseases. Selenium (Se) is a nutrient whose daily intake is often below adequate. Biofortification is a way to increase this intake by increasing the concentration of Se in edible parts of plants. Tomatoes have a high potential for biofortification with Se, as it is present in the human diet and can accumulate selenium. Biofortification strategies have already been tested for tomatoes, however there is a need for field validation. Additionally, techniques involving the priming effect can maximize biofortification with Se. The hypotheses of the study are: I) Foliar fertilization with Se produces tomatoes biofortified with Se at field level; III) Previous treatment of seedlings with Se promotes a priming effect. The aforementioned strategies have different mechanisms and efficiencies of absorption and translocation of Se in plants, relating to the processing of the harvested product, and increased shelf-life. In this context, proximal sensors to quantify this element in fruits and the use of sensors to evaluate the harvested product shoul be integrate to IoT into this action of improving plant and human nutrition, both strategies used in agriculture 4.0 to achieve its objectives . Thus, foliar fertilization strategies will be validated and analyzed for product quality and shelf life with the help of IoT in the production of tomatoes biofortified with Se. (AU)