Content and Distribution of Macroelements, Microelements, and Rare-Earth Elements in Different Tomato Varieties as a Promising Tool for Monitoring the Distinction between the Integral and Organic Systems of Production in Zeleni hit—Official Enza and Vitalis Trial and Breeding Station

Abstract

The identification of agricultural food production systems has gained importance in order to protect both human health and the environment. The importance of organic production system of agriculture which involves the application of natural processes and substances, and limits or completely eliminates the use of synthesized means is emphasized. Knowledge of the mineral composition in tomato samples can be used as a potent tool in the identification of chemical markers as potential indicators of the farming system. A set of tomato samples taken from two factorial randomized trials were comprehended eight different varieties, belonging to four tomato types: large—BEEF and CLUSTER, and mini and midi—CHERRY and PLUM tomatoes, cultivated under two different farming systems: integral (IPM) and organic (O) were characterized based on the composition of the minerals. A total of 44 elements were quantified. To establish criteria for the classification of the samples and confirm a unique set of parameters of variation among the types of production, sophisticated chemometric techniques were used. The results indicate that the accumulation of elements varies between 8 tomato varieties and 2 different growing systems. The contents of Al, Mn, As, Pb, and some of the rare-earth elements (REEs) are able to distinguish between production types. Examination of different hybrids, which belong to different types in two production systems: organic and integral within Zeleni hit (official Enza and Vitalis trial and breeding station), was done with the aim of reaching a methodology of diversification, ie complete traceability of organic production, and to contribute to distinguishing types of agricultural systems and enhancing the possibility of acquiring a valuable authenticity factor about the type of agricultural production system employed for the cultivation of tomatoes.