Impact of red and blue nets on physiological and morphological traits, fruit yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.)

•Different color nets with similar photosynthetic yield alter plant physiology.•The high ratio of blue to red light limits plant growth and leaf area.•The high ratio of blue to red light favours the earlier development of flower buds.•The low blue to red light improves tomato quality (higher sugar and lower acids). Plants can detect the quality, quantity and direction of light and use it as a signal to adapt their morphogenesis and growth. Thus depending on their light transmission, coloured nets used to protect plants from pests and limit irradiance can also impact plant growth and production. Tomato plants have been grown under blue or red nets transmitting similar photosynthetic yield from transplanting until the end of the fruit harvest to determine the importance of the light spectrum on plant growth, reproductive characteristics and fruit chemical composition. The morphological traits, organ physiology and fruit composition were strongly influenced by net colour. Plants under the red net were taller with a greater leaf area and a shoot to root ratio. An increased blue to red ratio slightly enhanced the reproductive development (visible bud development and 1st flowering) of tomato plants. An increased red to blue ratio enhanced the tomato glucose (17 %) and fructose (6 %) contents, while the citric (5 %) and malic acids (4 %) contents decreased, triggering a higher sugar/acid ratio. A high blue to red light limited organ growth and plant light interception was reduced despite a higher photosynthetic yield and a slight enhancement of the organ appearance rate. In addition, a low blue to red light increased fruit weight at harvest and even if it did not significantly improve fruit yield, it favoured fruit quality as it enhanced the tomato sugar/acid ratio.