title: Soil compost amendment enhances tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) quality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important crops in the world and represents a key crop in southern Italy. With the aim to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of tomato fruits in relation to NPK and compost fertilisation, the concentrations of the main nutrients, toxic elements, primary metabolites and total phenols were determined in two varieties (Lido and San Marzano). Each variety was cultivated in a different experimental field, subjected to different agronomic techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concentrations of toxic elements (Cd and Pb) were below the limits indicated by the EU Regulation (2011) in all the fruits analysed. Moreover, fruits obtained from San Marzano plants grown on organic amended soils showed a better overall quality than those obtained on mineral fertilised soil, being characterised by lower N (attributed to lower nitrate and nitrite concentrations), lower Cd, and higher soluble sugar concentrations. Higher concentrations of soluble sugars in fruits from organic amended soils were also observed in the Lido variety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The agricultural use of quality compost represents an effective strategy to obtain high quality products in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia "Adolfo Zambelli", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132 - 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldantoni
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia "Adolfo Zambelli", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132 - 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellino
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia "Adolfo Zambelli", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132 - 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alfani
mesh_terms: D005308:Fertilizers; D063427:Food Quality; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000254:growth & development*; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D012987:Soil
keywords: Lido; NPK fertilisation; San Marzano; compost amendment; nutrients and toxic elements; primary and secondary metabolites