A new study published in Plant Physiology opens the door to developing more robust and cold-resistant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) varieties. The findings reveal that increasing glycosylated sterol levels in tomato enhances cold tolerance by stabilizing cell membranes and activating hormonal signaling pathways. Genetically modified plants exhibit an earlier response to cold stress, with greater activation of antioxidant enzymes, stress-defense genes involved in abiotic stress response, and polyamine biosynthesis pathways.
Researchers develop a cold-resistant tomato variety without compromising plant growth
