Yield and Nutritional Quality of Vesuvian Piennolo Tomato PDO as Affected by Farming System and Biostimulant Application

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper is well written. Authors took time to present their research data with clarity. All sections of the manuscript are well reasoned out. The Introduction is thorough, The M+M  sections sets the stage for the results and  Discussion sections. Presentation of Results, Discussion, and Data analaysis are presented with thoroughness. The relevance of the present research results and linkage to published investigations is commendable. 

My only suggestion is to supply details on Funding.

Author Response

Discussion sheet for the reviewer #1

This paper is well written. Authors took time to present their research data with clarity. All sections of the manuscript are well reasoned out. The Introduction is thorough, The M+M  sections sets the stage for the results and Discussion sections. Presentation of Results, Discussion, and Data analysis are presented with thoroughness. The relevance of the present research results and linkage to published investigations is commendable.

Thank you for appreciating our current work as a thorough investigation of the importance of the use of plant biostimulants, in our case protein hydrolysate derived from vegetal hydrolysis and tropical plant extract, as a efficient tool for boosting yield and nutritional and functional quality of an important vegetable crops such as tomato grown under both conventional and organic farming system. We are pleased and honored that reviewer 1 found our manuscript very interesting and very well addressed and therefore acceptable for publication in Agronomy MDPI without modifications.

My only suggestion is to supply details on Funding.

Done. Please refer to line328.

Reviewer 2 Report

The study was well designed and executed, and the manuscript has some good points that may help tomato breeders. Most of these points are known among researchers/growers based on prior experience and production of at least particular crops. I have only two minor comments: Is there any reason for presenting a quotation? (line 57); Please explain what the meaning of "the marketable yield" (line 118).

Author Response

Discussion sheet for the reviewer #2

The study was well designed and executed, and the manuscript has some good points that may help tomato breeders. Most of these points are known among researchers/growers based on prior experience and production of at least particular crops.

Thanks for considering our manuscript as well written, well constructed, with strong hypothesis as well as relevant findings that will help tomato breeders and thus accepted for publication in Agronomy MDPI with minor revisions.

I have only two minor comments: Is there any reason for presenting a quotation? (line 57); Please explain what the meaning of "the marketable yield" (line 118).

We apologize for this typo mistake, the quotation has been omitted from the revised version of the manuscript. Please refer to lines 57-59.

Marketable yield refer to tomato fruits that are not deformed or misshaped. Therefore in lines 119-120 we reported that ‘Fruits that were deformed or misshaped were considered unmarketable’, in order to be clearer for the readers of Agronomy MDPI.