To explore the spatial distribution pattern of tomato growth and yield, as well as the driving mechanism of light environment under east-west ridge cultivation in solar greenhouse, tomato was used as the test material. Two cultivation crops were set, namely the autumn-winter crop and winter-spring crop, and four cultivation ridges (northernmost RI- the southernmost R4) were arranged along the north-south direction. The canopy solar radiation distribution, plant growth, photosynthetic physiological characteristics, fruit soluble solids content (SSC) and yield were systematically determined. Pearson correlation analysis and path analysis were performed to clarify the driving pathway of solar radiation. The results showed that the growth and physiological indexes of tomato presented gradient differences along with ridge positions, and the overall distribution of SSC and yield was characterized by low values in the north and high values in the south. Specifically, the yield of R1 in the autumn-winter crop and winter-spring crop was 45.80% and 25.63% lower than that of R4, respectively. Meanwhile, the differences in SSC and yield among different ridge positions increased with the rise of fruit truss position. Path analysis revealed that cumulative solar radiation during the whole growth period could indirectly affect the photosynthetic physiology and population structure of tomato plants through positively regulating SPAD value and leaf area. The direct effect of SPAD value on yield reached an extremely significant level (β=0.702, P<0.01), while the direct effect of leaf area on SSC reached a significant level (β=0.474, P<0.05). The direct effect of cumulative solar radiation on yield also reached a significant level (β=0.515, P<0.05). In summary, under east-west ridge cultivation in solar greenhouse, the spatial heterogeneity of light environment differentially regulates tomato yield and soluble solids content through the pathways of “cumulative solar radiation→SPAD→yield” and “cumulative solar radiation→leaf area→SSC”. SPAD and leaf area are the key mediators for the formation of yield and SSC, respectively.
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