A recent study published in Biology and Fertility of Soils uncovers how low nocturnal temperatures (LNT)—common during early spring—reshape the microbial and chemical balance of protected tomato cultivation soils.
Researchers from Shenyang Agricultural University conducted a 40-day controlled experiment to examine how nighttime temperature stress influences soil health, microbial diversity, and metabolite profiles.
The study found that by the 20th day of exposure, low night temperatures began shifting bacterial community composition. After 40 days, significant reductions were recorded in available phosphorus (AP) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)—two crucial nutrients for soil fertility.
Interestingly, while microbial richness remained stable, community composition changed substantially. The bacterial genera Streptomyces and Microvirga emerged as key indicators of LNT-induced transformations. Functional gene analysis revealed that LNT suppressed genes responsible for carbohydrate synthesis while enhancing those linked to cell membrane synthesis and stress adaptation.
Metabolomic analysis showed that soils under LNT accumulated stress-responsive compounds such as linoleic acid, jasmonic acid, and brassinolide, suggesting a microbial and biochemical shift toward cold resistance.
“These results show that even moderate nocturnal cooling can restructure soil microbial networks and alter metabolic pathways crucial for tomato resilience,” the authors noted.
The study emphasizes that temperature fluctuations in protected agriculture can significantly affect nutrient cycling and soil microbial functionality, highlighting the need for optimized temperature management strategies in greenhouse tomato production.
Reference
Shi, Q., Sun, Z., Fu, H., Liu, Y., & Li, T. (2025). Low nocturnal temperature changed the protected tomato soil bacterial community composition and metabolite characteristics. Biology and Fertility of Soils. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-025-01956-8
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