The aim of this research was to evaluate the biostimulant effects of an eco-product (EP) containing essential oils of rosemary and eucalyptus on tomato crop. Experiments were conducted to evaluate EP effects on plant growth and physiological parameters (e.g., chlorophyll content), total phenols and antioxidant activity, enzyme activities (e.g., catalase), plant macronutrient content and fresh tomato fruit quality. The application of an EP once (EP-1x) increased tomato plant height by 19%, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content compared to the control (sprayed with water). EP triplicate (EP-3x) application significantly increased yield (0.79 kg plant⁻¹) compared to the control (0.58 kg plant⁻¹). However, application of EP-3x was associated with a higher percentage of fruit cracking in comparison to the control. Total phenols and antioxidant activity were affected from both the use of EP and application frequency. EP application decreased by 27.3% the leaf damage index in comparison to the control. Nutrient content in leaves (N, Mg) was significantly decreased in the case of EP-3x treatment. Fruit firmness was decreased by 19.9% in the case of EP-1x application. Fruit marketability and tomato-like aroma, fresh weight and soluble solids did not differ among the treatments. Further research is required to examine the potential use of essential oils as biostimulants.

We present for the first time the environmental footprint (EF) of grapes following the methodology proposed by the EU and life cycle assessment (LCA). We used data from three different production systems, conventional high- or low-input and organic from vineyards on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The life cycle inventory (LCI) data were retrieved from the recently released AGRIBALYSE database, and the EF was determined with the Open LCA software. The system boundary was from “cradle to winery door” and the functional unit was 1 ton of grapes delivered to the winery. Organic grape production had the lowest values for most of the 16 EF impact categories. Machinery, fuel, and sulfur production and use were identified as EF hotspots for organic grapes. Fertilizer production and use were identified as EF hotspots for high-input grape production. The EF impact category values for low-input grapes showed similarities with organic production. Future research needs to enrich the LCI databases with data more applicable to the methods and inputs applied in Mediterranean agriculture.

Climate change (CC) clearly impacts food production, but risks on the climatic suitability of agricultural areas for vegetable crops, their pests and associated natural enemies are largely unexplored. Tomato, one of the most important vegetables in the world, is grown mostly outdoors, and may be severely impacted by CC. Farmers cultivating tomatoes need to adapt to an increase in the potential for outbreaks of pests favoured by CC and disruption of biological control, yet, no attempt has been made to simultaneously evaluate CC effects on a crop-pest-natural enemy system for tomato or any other crop. Here, we modelled the suitability of areas equipped with irrigation facilities (AEI) in 2050 for tomato, the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, a mite pest of tomato among more than 200 crops, and its key predator Phytoseiulus persimilis. We evaluated the suitability of AEI for tomato production under a 1.6 °C warming by 2050, within the targets of the Paris agreement. Projections show that climatic conditions become unsuitable for tomato production on 30%–100% of AEI for seven out of the 29 top tomato producing countries of the world. Model predictions suggest that two-spotted spider mite potential for outbreaks would increase substantially in nine countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, while biological control failures would occur globally. Model results have a significant relationship with growth rates for the three species measured in outdoor experiments, and farmer/expert perceptions on two-spotted spider mite outbreak severity captured via interviews. The expansion of AEI in other agricultural areas in the sub-Saharan Africa may offset losses of suitable land. However, several nations in the Middle East and South Asia with prevalent small scale agriculture would experience devastating impacts because of the unsuitability of conditions for tomato production and the potential increase in two-spotted spider mite outbreaks.