Physicochemical and Antioxidant Quality Profile of Semi-Dry Tomatoes from a Local Long Shelf-Life Tomato Landrace

Tomato is a high-value crop whose productivity and quality are threatened by climate change in semi-arid Mediterranean areas. This study examined the effects of environment, deficit irrigation (DI), and genotype on tomato yield as well as sensory and antioxidant characteristics. Field experiments were conducted over two consecutive seasons (2023–2024) at two sites in eastern Sicily differing in soil texture (clayey and sandy). Five genotypes— including two old local landraces of long shelf-life tomato and three hybrids—were subjected to three irrigation regimes based on the replenishment of crop evapotranspiration (ETc): 33% (I33, low irrigation rate), 66% (I66, moderate irrigation rate), and 99% (I99, high irrigation rate, control). Yield was maximized in clayey soil (+55% in 2023 and +44% in 2024) and under the I99 regime (48.48 Mg ha−1). Among the genotypes, the most productive were the hybrids HL1 (‘Lycomech’, high-lycopene tomato) and MP (‘Febo’, mini-plum tomato), with yields exceeding 40 Mg ha−1. Overa