{
  "id": 16610977,
  "title": "Thermal priming enhances heat tolerance and yield in tomatoes after recurrent heat stress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/thermal-priming-enhances-heat-tolerance-and-yield-in-tomatoes-after",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-26T14:20:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-thermal-priming-tolerance-yield-tomatoes.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study led by Dr. Justyna Olas from the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences has found that moderate heat exposure can enhance tomato plants' resilience to subsequent severe heat stress, a phenomenon known as thermal priming. Published in The Plant Journal, the research reveals that tomatoes can develop a form of memory in response to initial heat stress, allowing them to better withstand subsequent heat events. This \"thermal priming\" reprograms the plants, enabling them to quickly and effectively respond to future heat stress. In controlled experiments, plants primed with moderate heat stress showed a 41% increase in fruit production and total fruit mass compared to unprimed control plants after being subjected to recurrent severe heat stress. In a field trial conducted in 2025, primed plants produced approximately 53% more fruit than non-primed plants under fluctuating environmental conditions. The protective effect of thermal priming lasted for up to 10 days, after which it diminished. The study also identified the transcription factor SlHSFA2 as a key player in this process, regulating the activation of SlBAG6, a gene involved in the thermal memory response. While the mechanism linking this molecular response to increased yield is still unclear, the findings suggest that thermal priming could be a valuable strategy for improving tomato yields under heat-stressed conditions.",
  "summary": "High temperatures can significantly impair the growth and yield of crops, including tomatoes. A new study by an international research team led by Dr. Justyna Olas, of the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ), has shown that tomatoes can respond better to subsequent heat stress following moderate heat exposure. The work is published in The Plant Journal.",
  "key_points": [
    "Moderate heat exposure enhances tomato resilience to severe heat stress (thermal priming)",
    "Primed plants produced 53% more fruit than unprimed plants in 2025 field trial"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Leveraging the natural thermal memory of tomato plants offers a promising biological strategy for stabilizing crop yields and maintaining food production during increasingly frequent and severe heat waves.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}