Rational Use of Biostimulants, Particle Film Technologies and Other Innovative Formulates in Agriculture

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 July 2023) | Viewed by 10375

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
Interests: viticulture; abiotic stress; grapevine eco-physiology; biostimulants; particle-film-technologies

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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: plant physiology; fruit quality; mitigation strategies against (a)biotic stress; antioxidant orquestra; sustainability
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Guest Editor
Escuela de Agronomía, Facultad de Ciencias, Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Mayor, Temuco 4780000, Chile
Interests: berry quality; edaphoclimatic conditions; terroir; viticultural practices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last 10 years, research and industrial initiatives have developed many so-called biosolutions to address crop exigencies, in respect of environmental sustainability. Today, climate change is posing serious new challenges to primary production, and the short-term unpredictability of environmental and socio-economic conditions requires farms and growers to have high flexibility and adaptation capabilities. For instance, energetic, climatic, and political crises in 2022 are demonstrating that while only effective and economically convenient inputs can be integrated in field and orchards management, productivity cannot be exchanged for environmental benefits and vice versa.

In this framework, the present Special Issue aims to collect some cutting-edge papers targeting the most relevant aspects about the use of biostimulants/biofertilizers and other biosolutions in agriculture. In detail, the articles collection intends to cover:

  1. Efficacy of biostimulants and particle film technologies in improving crops tolerance to abiotic stress;
  2. Improvement of plant eco-physiological performances under foliar/soil biosolutions applications;
  3. Use of biostimulants to improve yield and crop quality traits;
  4. Efficacy and convenience of biosolutions as compared to traditional or alternative techniques;
  5. Reduction of inputs in farming systems and improvement of environment quality by introducing natural-based products;
  6. Plant–plant and plant–pathogens interaction according to biosolutions application;
  7. Integration of biostimulants within the field management strategy.

Dr. Tommaso Frioni
Dr. Lia-Tania Dinis
Dr. Gastón Gutiérrez-Gamboa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biostimulants
  • mychorriza
  • antitranspirants
  • particle film technologies
  • biofertilizers
  • yield preservation
  • fruit quality
  • plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
  • seaweed extracts
  • protein hydrolysates
  • biocontrol

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1901 KiB  
Article
High-Temperature Influences Plant Bio-Stimulant-like Effects of the Combination Particle Film-Forming Materials-Foliar Fertilizers on Apple Trees
by Carmen Eugenia Sîrbu, Mălina Deșliu-Avram, Traian Mihai Cioroianu, Diana Constantinescu-Aruxandei and Florin Oancea
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010178 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2318
Abstract
Particle film forming materials were introduced as a solution to reduce the effects of excessive solar irradiation on plant photosynthesis. Covering plant leaves with particle films leads to plant bio-stimulant-like effects: increased protection against abiotic stress and increased fruit quality. We used zeolites [...] Read more.
Particle film forming materials were introduced as a solution to reduce the effects of excessive solar irradiation on plant photosynthesis. Covering plant leaves with particle films leads to plant bio-stimulant-like effects: increased protection against abiotic stress and increased fruit quality. We used zeolites and diatomaceous earth carriers for foliar fertilizer, known for their application as particle film-forming material. The aim of this paper was to investigate the plant bio-stimulant-like effects of this combined two-in-one product on the yield of apple trees and their photosynthetic pigments and fruit quality. The experiments were conducted for two years, 2021 and 2022, which had different agroclimatic patterns: 2021 had a deficit of precipitation, whereas 2022 was warmer by more than +4.8 °C compared to the recorded average temperature. Applying particle film-forming material and foliar fertilizer reduces the degradation of the photosynthetic pigments by drought and excessive solar radiation by 25–30%. In the year with a deficit of precipitation there was an increased yield by an additional 11.56–12.38% and the fruit quality similarly increased. Such effects of these combined two-in-one products were limited in 2022 as the temperature was higher than normal by several degrees. Full article
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13 pages, 475 KiB  
Article
Effect of Protein Gel Treatments on Biometric and Biochemical Attributes of Tomato Seedlings in Greenhouse Condition
by Daniela Balan, Gabriela Luţă, Maria Stanca, Ovidiu Jerca, Mihaela Niculescu, Carmen Gaidau, Stefana Jurcoane and Antoaneta Mihalcea
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010054 - 24 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
Protein hydrolysates are widely used in agricultural crops for improving plant nutrient uptake, growth, yield, and fruit quality. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most important vegetables consumed around the world both for its good taste and rich content in [...] Read more.
Protein hydrolysates are widely used in agricultural crops for improving plant nutrient uptake, growth, yield, and fruit quality. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most important vegetables consumed around the world both for its good taste and rich content in vitamins, minerals, lycopene, and β-carotene. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of new stimulant products based on protein hydrolysates obtained from animal tissue by-products on tomato seedlings. Given the increased intake of amino acids, it is expected that this treatment will exert beneficial effects on the development of certain vigorous seedlings, representing the premise for obtaining superior tomato plants and the improvement of the production and quality of tomato fruit. Two variants of protein gels based on gelatin and keratin hydrolysates were obtained by processing bovine hide and wool and were used for periodical root applications on tomato seedlings cultivated in a greenhouse. During the experiment, the biometric characteristics of seedlings were measured weekly. The content of photosynthetic pigments, dry weight, sugars, and polyphenols were analyzed, and the antioxidant activity was assessed in the leaves. The research performed showed that applied biostimulant treatments increased the content of photosynthetic pigments by 10%, the content of sugars by 75%, and the content of polyphenols by 16% compared to the control untreated variant. Between the variants of protein gels tested, the best results were obtained by applying a mixture of bovine gelatin and keratin. Full article
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10 pages, 960 KiB  
Article
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) Aqueous Extract: Hormesis and Biostimulant Activity for Seed Germination and Seedling Growth in Vegetable Crops
by Euro Pannacci, Selene Baratta, Beatrice Falcinelli, Michela Farneselli and Francesco Tei
Agriculture 2022, 12(9), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091329 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3294
Abstract
The evaluation of potential biostimulants to be used in sustainable horticulture production is a crucial goal of research. Most research has focused on the effects of biostimulants on plant growth, and less on the effects on seed germination and seedling growth. This study [...] Read more.
The evaluation of potential biostimulants to be used in sustainable horticulture production is a crucial goal of research. Most research has focused on the effects of biostimulants on plant growth, and less on the effects on seed germination and seedling growth. This study evaluated the biostimulatory effects of mugwort extract on seed germination and seedling growth in several vegetable crops (onion, carrot, tomato, rapeseed, cauliflower and lettuce), in order to test its application as a potential biostimulant. The phenolic acid composition of the extract and the acids’ rankings were: homovanillic > gentisic > gallic > caffeic = chlorogenic > salicylic = syringic > p/m-coumaric = ferulic = synaptic = p-hydroxybenzoic. The extract of mugwort (at 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.56, 3.13, 6.25 and 12.5 % w/v concentrations) was analyzed using Petri dish bioassays, quantifying its stimulatory effects on seed germination and the radicle and hypocotyl length of the seedlings, according to hormetic log-logistic models. The mugwort extract was not able to biostimulate all the tested species. Seed germination was stimulated in carrot (+70%) and rapeseed (+11%), while in the other species, no effects (i.e., onion, tomato and lettuce) or inhibition (i.e., cauliflower) were observed. Hypocotyl length stimulation was observed in all the species except carrot and onion, while radicle length was mainly inhibited by mugwort extract, except in rapeseed (+30%). The biostimulation effects of mugwort extract seem to be “specie specific” and “part of plant specific”, and need to be further investigated in terms of the involved substances and physiological aspects, although phytohormone activity is certainly involved. Full article
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13 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
Silicon and Nitric Oxide Applications Allow Mitigation of Water Stress in Myrobalan 29C Rootstocks (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.)
by Ibrahim Bolat, Asuman Gundogdu Bakır, Kubra Korkmaz, Gastón Gutiérrez-Gamboa and Ozkan Kaya
Agriculture 2022, 12(8), 1273; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12081273 - 20 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2181
Abstract
(1) Background: Silicon (Si) and nitric oxide (NO) have been proven to protect against cellular injury caused by stress conditions, mostly by salinity and water stress in agriculture. (2) Methods: The goal was to study the effect of soil applications of NO, Si, [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Silicon (Si) and nitric oxide (NO) have been proven to protect against cellular injury caused by stress conditions, mostly by salinity and water stress in agriculture. (2) Methods: The goal was to study the effect of soil applications of NO, Si, and their combination (Si+NO) on the response of Myrobalan 29C rootstocks (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.) subjected to water stress and well-watered conditions. (3) Results: The results showed that water stress decreased growth parameters (i.e., leaf area, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root dry weight, and relative shoot diameter), physio-biochemical parameters (i.e., chlorophyll and relative water content in leaves), and leaf and root minerals (i.e., P, Ca, Fe, and Zn in leaves and N, K, Ca, and Zn in roots), compared to well-watered plants. Under these conditions, all treatments mitigated the detrimental effects of water stress on Myrobalan 29C rootstocks, being the most effective the Si+NO treatment. (4) Conclusions: These findings briefly highlight that the combination of silicon and nitric oxide may provide greater tolerance to water stress in Myrobalan 29C rootstocks. Full article
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