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Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 26398

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Dr. Alessandra Moncada

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Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: soilless cultivation; plant nutrition; nutrient solutions; organic farming; biostimulants; phytohormones
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Filippo Vetrano

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Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: horticulture production; cut flower production; crop management; compost production; plant hormones, biostimulants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to clarify the role played by plant growth promoters, as well as chemical, biological, and physical soil fertility, on crop growth, development, and yield in a sustainable horticultural system.

Plant growth promoters can be microbial (such as bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi) and non-microbial (substances synthetically produced or obtained from natural derivates, such as fish and animal waste, algae extract, etc.). They enhance the all-round growth of the crops by regulating their metabolic activities by increasing seed germination speed, root growth, leaf quality, vigor, and the resilience of crops to biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g., thermal, water, saline stress). The increase in growth leads to a better assimilation of nutrients, quality of the final yield, and productivity. Plant growth promoters are also known as soil conditioners; this is due to their positive effects on soil quality, with respect to biological and physical fertility.

Therefore, the Special Issue solicits the collection of research articles, reviews, short notes, and opinion articles, focusing on the effects and the mode of action of plant growth promoters (microbial and not microbial, from organic and synthetic sources); their impact on soil fertility; and their effectiveness in improving plant growth, yield, quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Dr. Alessandra Moncada
Dr. Filippo Vetrano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biostimulants
plant growth-promoting microorganisms
vegetables
biotic and abiotic stresses

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Growth and Nutritional Responses of Zucchini Squash to a Novel Consortium of Six Bacillus sp. Strains Used as a Biostimulant

by Dimitrios Savvas, Paraskevi Magkana, Dionisios Yfantopoulos, Panagiotis Kalozoumis and Georgia Ntatsi

Agronomy 2024, 14(2), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020362 - 10 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1626

Abstract

The use of biostimulants consisting of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been rapidly expanding in horticulture in recent years. In the current study, a novel mix of six Bacillus sp. strains (B. subtilis, B. pumilus, B. megaterium, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. velezensis, B. licheniformis) was tested as a PGPR biostimulant in two experiments with zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.). The first experiment took place in greenhouse soil in winter, while the second experiment was conducted in an open field during summer. In both experiments, seeds of the local landrace “Kompokolokytho” and the commercial hybrid “ARO-800” were either inoculated or non-inoculated with the PGPR biostimulant. The application of the six Bacillus sp. strains increased both the vegetative growth and the yield of zucchini squash, and these effects were associated with significantly higher shoot phosphorus levels in both experiments and both genotypes. Furthermore, at the end of the cultivation, the colony-forming units of Bacillus sp. were appreciably higher in plants originating from inoculated compared to non-inoculated seeds, indicating that the tested mix of Bacillus sp. can be successfully applied through seed inoculation. “ARO-800” produced more vegetative and fruit biomass than “Κompokolokytho” under greenhouse cropping conditions, while in the open field crop, both genotypes performed equally. Presumably, this response occurred because “ARO-800” did not express its full yield potential in the open field due to stress imposed by the high summer temperatures, while the local landrace, which is traditionally grown in open fields, may be more resilient to stress conditions frequently encountered in open fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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15 pages, 4713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Micronutrient Fertiliser Reinforcement by Fulvate–Lignosulfonate Coating Improves Physiological Responses in Tomato

by Ricardo Gil-Ortiz, Miguel Ángel Naranjo, Sergio Atares, Oscar Vicente and Raphaël Morillon

Agronomy 2023, 13(8), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13082013 - 29 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1814

Abstract

Micronutrients are essential to plants, and enhancing their availability is one of the agronomic challenges to improving crop quality and yield. This study, under controlled greenhouse conditions, compares tomato plants’ responses to two different micronutrient EDTA-chelated formulations, one of them including a newly developed fulvate–lignosulfonate coating. Growth, yield, and several physiological parameters, including photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency, leaf nutrient content, leaf greenness and the effective quantum yield of photosystem II, were measured to compare their efficiency. The results showed that the new coated formulation significantly improved growth and most of the determined physiological parameters. At the end of the experiment, higher foliar levels of Fe (2.4-fold) and Mn (2.9-fold) were measured, revealing increased availability of lignofulfonate-complexed micronutrients compared to the traditional fertiliser. Moreover, the photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance were 9- and 20-fold higher, respectively, than when using the standard fertiliser. In conclusion, the new coated fulvate–lignosulfonated fertiliser provided a more suitable source of micronutrients for tomato plant fertilisation, allowing for higher yields, which correlated with a generally improved physiological response. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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21 pages, 3189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mealworm Frass as a Potential Organic Fertilizer in Synergy with PGP-Based Biostimulant for Lettuce Plants

by Teresa Fuertes-Mendizábal, Isabel Salcedo, Ximena Huérfano, Patrick Riga, José María Estavillo, David Ávila Blanco and Miren Karmele Duñabeitia

Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051258 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3604

Abstract

This study explores the potential use of frass, the larval excrement residue obtained from mealworm rearing, as organic fertilizer for crops. Its high organic matter content means that its joint application with a biostimulant based on efficient microorganisms, favoring its mineralization, is of interest. An experiment with lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L.) was conducted with two factors and six replicates under greenhouse conditions. The first factor was frass amendment at 0%, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% of the peat substrate, and the second factor was a Bacillus-based BS at two levels, with and without efficient microorganism application. The results reveal that frass shows great potential as an organic fertilizer, providing macronutrients and increasing lettuce aerial biomass, although its effect is mediated by the application rate. Rates of 2.5% or higher proved negative for lettuce plant growth, especially root development, probably due to an increased incidence of potentially pathogenic fungi. The negative effect of medium–high frass rates was counteracted by the addition of a PGP-based biostimulant, enhancing lettuce plant nutrient uptake, aerial biomass, and quality in terms of succulence, but also favoring microbial diversity in the rhizosphere, increasing the incidence of beneficial microorganisms, and decreasing potentially pathogenic fungi. This positive synergy observed between frass and the PGP-based biostimulant is of interest for the design of new organic fertilization strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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23 pages, 1138 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effect of L-Tryptophan and L-Glutamic Acid on Carrot Yield and Its Quality

by Robert Rosa, Larysa Hajko, Jolanta Franczuk, Anna Zaniewicz-Bajkowska, Alena Andrejiová and Ivana Mezeyová

Agronomy 2023, 13(2), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020562 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4130

Abstract

Positively affecting crop quality and yields, amino acids used as plant stimulants play a special role in ensuring global food security. L-tryptophan (L-Try) and L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) are important biostimulants that increase the yield of field crops and vegetables. Carrot is one of the most important vegetables due to its production volume in the world (sixth most consumed vegetable) and its nutritional value. The response of different plant species to amino acid application varies. The literature mainly deals with the effects of ready-made products containing a mixture of several amino acids, with no exhaustive studies on the effects of individual amino acids on carrot quality and yield. This paper is based on a two-year field experiment (2019–2020), in which the effect of two amino acids, L-Trp (7.5 g·ha⁻¹) and L-Glu (60.0 g·ha⁻¹), on carrot (Daucus carota L.) was investigated. They were applied to the leaves (FA) or both to the soil and to the leaves (S + FA), separately, (L-Trp or L-Glu) or as a mixture (L-Trp + L-Glu). The control plot was treated with mineral fertilizers only. The research was conducted as a field experiment in a split-block design. The yield of carrot storage roots and their content of dry matter, protein, sugars, total soluble solids (TSS), and ascorbic acid were determined. The amino acids positively affected the yield of carrots compared to the control, but only the synergistic action of L-tryptophan and L-glutamic acid increased it significantly. On average, for both amino acids the S + FA application increased the protein content and the marketable yield of storage roots significantly more than in response to FA treatment. A significant increase in marketable yield compared to the control was found after the combined soil and foliar application (S + FA) of all amino acid combinations, but the L-Trp + L-Glu mixture worked best. The storage roots of carrots grown on the plot with L-Trp + L-Glu contained significantly more protein and TSS than those on the control plot. The content of TSS was also positively affected by L-Trp used on its own, while L-Glu increased the content of ascorbic acid. Amino acids applied to the leaves (FA) increased the content of total sugars in the carrot roots more than when applied both to the soil and to the leaves (S + FA). Of all treatment combinations, the synergistic action of L-Trp and L-Glu made it possible to obtain the highest yields of carrot storage roots, containing the most protein and total soluble solids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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12 pages, 1189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Tomato Fruit Quality and Soil Nutrients through Foliar Spraying Fulvic Acid under Stress of Copper and Cadmium

by Xiaodi Shi, Lingfei Zhang, Zehan Li, Xiangyang Xiao, Nanbiao Zhan and Xiumin Cui

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010275 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2594

Abstract

Fulvic acid (FA), the essence and most active component in humus, is widely used as a fertilizer synergistic agent and for soil improvement. As a synergist, FA can not only highly chelate microelements, but also play a key role as a growth promoter. Due to the small molecular weight and high solubility, FA is usually used by foliar spraying in vegetable production, yet the effect on fruit quality and nutrient absorption is still unclear. Here, ‘Jinpengdashuai’ tomatoes were used to investigate the effects of spraying FA on tomato fruit quality and soil Cu and Cd availability under stress of Cu and Cd by pot experiments. The results showed that the 1000 mg·L⁻¹ FA could significantly improve the biomass of tomato plants to some extents under different stresses of Cu and Cd. After spraying FA, the Cu and Cd content in different organs and the whole accumulation decreased; meanwhile, the transport efficiency of Cu and Cd was also reduced to some degree. The drops of FA significantly changed the chemical form of Cu and Cd in 0~10 cm soil, from the easily absorbed water soluble (or ion) form into the insoluble form, hard to absorb. The Cu content in the residual state increased by 93.8% and 172.5%, respectively, under single and compound stress, and the Cd content in the residual state increased by 16.7% and 58.6%. Foliar spraying FA could promote the absorption and transport of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and maintain the nutrient balance, which alleviates the inhibition of normal metabolism by Cu and Cd stress, to a certain extent. More distinctly, Vc, total sugar and lycopene increased by 11.4~45.9%, 19.2~48.5% and 30.9~84.5%, respectively, indicating that foliar spraying FA could improve the appearance and flavor quality of tomato fruits under stress of Cu and Cd. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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17 pages, 1849 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Harvest and Post-Harvest Performance of Autumn-Winter Butterhead Lettuce as Affected by Nitrogen and Azoxystrobin Application

by Anna Bonasia, Giulia Conversa, Corrado Lazzizera and Antonio Elia

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010222 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1705

Abstract

An autumn-winter trial was carried out in Southern Italy in open-field conditions on butterhead lettuce to investigate the effect of the nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (0, 50, and 100 kg ha⁻¹, N0, N50, N100) and the application of the azoxystrobin, sprayed twice in an earlier vs. a later application scheme, specifically at 65/85 or 65/100 days after transplantation. An untreated control was also included. The evaluation of the product quality was conducted on fresh and stored shredded leaves. The N50 was a suitable rate for autumn-winter butterhead lettuce, but it does not guarantee the color appearance of the fresh leaves (lowest h°, highest L*). Concerning post-harvest changes, the N50- and N100-product were less suitable for storage, accounting for higher decay of visual quality (h°) and physiological senescence (EL) indices. Irrespective of N rate and application time, azoxystrobin improved growth and yield (+16%), visual (lower L*, higher h°, and chlorophylls), and nutritional (higher carotenoids and antioxidant capacity) quality of the fresh leaves. The application of azoxystrobin improved the shelf-life of butterhead lettuce leaves, by keeping higher turgidity (RWC), lower color decay (CHLs, h°), and higher nutritional value (carotenoids), and by limiting the browning spreading in shredded leaves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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19 pages, 2513 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developmental, Phytochemical and Enzymatic Changes in Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) cvs. Hybrid and French with Salicylic Acid (SA) and Polyamine Spermidine (SP) Foliar Spray

by Sohail Ahmad, Waseem Ahmed, Adil Mihoub, Aftab Jamal, Muhammad Farhan Saeed, Nasir Masood, Emanuele Radicetti, Muhammad Fawad and Silvana Nicola

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010191 - 6 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

Marigolds (Calendula officinalis L.) are valuable in ornamentation, human food, and other uses; to enhance productivity, plant growth regulators produce stimulatory effects, including salicylic acid (SA) and spermidine (SP), but there is a lack of scientific evidence about such effects in marigolds. The study assessed, under greenhouse conditions, changes in physico-chemical parameters, enzymatic activity, and bioactive compounds of marigold cvs. Hybrid and French marigolds were sprayed of SA (1 and 2 mM) and SP (2 and 3 mM) and compared to control (pure water). The SA at 2 mM improved leaf length (8.20 cm), flower height and diameter (5.32, 8.28 cm), flower fresh and dry weight (14.30, 1.5 g), and the maximum number of flower petals (55) in ‘Hybrid’. Similarly, 2 mM SA gave the maximum number of leaves (40.71) and stem thickness (5.76 mm) in ‘French’, but 3 mM SP promoted the maximum plant height in ‘Hybrid’. Superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities increased in ‘Hybrid’ with 2 mM SA; with this SA dose, ‘Hybrid’ had higher contents of total phenolic compounds (68.34 mg GAE g⁻¹), antioxidants (77%), carotenoids (110 mg 100 g⁻¹), and flavonoids (67.5 mg RE g⁻¹) than the control. The best dose for improving growth in both marigold varieties was 2 mM SA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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18 pages, 1060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological, Physiological and Quality Performances of Basil Cultivars under Different Fertilization Types

by Gabriel-Ciprian Teliban, Marian Burducea, Gabriela Mihalache, Valtcho D. Zheljazkov, Ivayla Dincheva, Ilian Badjakov, Lorena-Diana Popa, Ilie Bodale, Nicolae-Valentin Vlăduț, Alexandru Cojocaru, Neculai Munteanu, Teodor Stan, Gianluca Caruso and Vasile Stoleru

Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 3219; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123219 - 19 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2626

Abstract

The prospect of replacing traditional chemical fertilization with organic and microorganism-based fertilization meets the current demand for more sustainable cropping systems and healthy food. In this respect, research was carried out to evaluate the effects of the factorial combination between four basil cultivars (‘Aromat de Buzau’, ‘Macedon’, ‘Cuisoare’ and ‘Serafim’) and three types of fertilization, namely chemical fertilization (with a solid chemical fertilizer), organic fertilization (with chicken manure formulate) and microorganisms’ fertilization (with microorganisms formulate), on basil yield, biochemical and physiological parameters and essential oil composition. The results showed that the biometric parameters (plant height, number of stems and leaves and leaf area) were significantly influenced by the cultivar; ‘Macedon’ obtained the highest values of plant height (64.7 cm) and number of stems (20.33) and leaves (618.3) and ‘Serafim’ the largest leaf area (4901.7 cm² per plant), while the type of fertilization did not affect these parameters. Regarding the biomass, the influence of the cultivar was not significant on fresh biomass but was significant on dry biomass, with ‘Macedon’ showing the highest value (56.4 g·plant⁻¹ dry biomass). The mentioned parameters were significantly influenced by the type of fertilization, with the highest values recorded with chemical fertilization. Both the cultivar and the fertilization type significantly influenced the physiological parameters (the total content of assimilatory pigments and photosynthesis). Five phenolic compounds were quantified from leaf extracts by HPLC-MS (caffeic acid, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, rutin and quercitrin). Hyperoside was identified only in ‘Macedon’, while the rest of the compounds were found in all the cultivars and varied depending on the cultivar and fertilization type. Regarding the composition of the essential oil, variation was found depending on the cultivar and fertilization type. In ‘Aromat de Buzau’, the main compounds were methyl chavicol and β-linalool; in ‘Macedon’, geranial and neral; and in ‘Cuisoare’ and ‘Serafim’, β-linalool. Moreover, the PCA showed that the ‘Serafim’ cultivar has exclusive properties compared to the other cultivars. Our results highlight that identifying the most effective interaction between genotype and fertilization type allows to optimize yield and quality targets for sweet basil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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20 pages, 5563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Foliar Application of Uniconazole on the Storage Quality of Tuberous Roots in Sweetpotato

by Ximing Xu, Xueping Pan, Heyao Zhang, Zunfu Lv, Jiaping Xia, Peng Cheng, Melvin Sidikie George, Yu Chen, Linjiang Pang and Guoquan Lu

Agronomy 2022, 12(12), 2983; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12122983 - 28 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1481

Abstract

Uniconazole (UCZ), as a plant growth regulator, has been extensively applied in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) to increase tuberous root yield and quality. It is usually used in the production of sweetpotato by foliar spray. The post-harvest storage stage is crucial for forming the quality of the sweetpotato’s tuberous root. Few studies have focused on the foliar spraying UCZ-affected storage quality of sweetpotato during pro-harvest storage. To examine the effects of foliar application of UCZ on the storage quality of tuberous root, this study mainly analyzed the influence of storage quality, with (K2 and K4) and without (K1 and K3) 100 mg·L⁻¹ foliar spraying of UCZ, at a storage period of normal fertilizing treatments (K1 and K2) and rich fertilizing treatments (K3 and K4), on the storage quality of three representative sweetpotato varieties (Z13, Z33 and J26). Compared to the no-use UCZ treatments, the decay rate of K2 was the lowest for any storage time. The decay rate of all the varieties was 0.0% before 45 DAS. Only the decay rate of Z33 increased to 4.4% at 60 DAS (p < 0.05). The dry matter rate of K2 and K4 was still higher than that of K1 during 15–60 DAS in Z13 and J26 (p < 0.05). UCZ foliar spraying was higher than without treatment at 30–60 DAS. In Z33, the springiness of UCZ spraying was higher than no spraying treatments at 45–60 DAS. These results indicate that foliar spraying of UCZ had no effect on the storage quality of tuberous root decreasing sharply, and it sometimes kept the quality stable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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20 pages, 2745 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Nitrogen Nutrition and Planting Date on the Yield and Physicochemical Parameters of Flowering Chinese Cabbage

by Wenping Liu, Małgorzata Muzolf-Panek and Tomasz Kleiber

Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2869; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112869 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3009

Abstract

The nitrogen requirements of flowering Chinese cabbage are unknown. Our study aimed at investigating the effect of varied nitrogen nutrition levels (including 50, 70, 90, 110, and 130 mg N per dm³, described as N-50 to N-130, respectively) on the yield of flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee) grown in two varied soilless cultivation systems (substrate and hydroponic) and seasons (spring and autumn). We confirmed that the intensity of the nitrogen nutrition modified the yield of plants within a range of 50 to 90 mg N; the yields were increased; however, the higher N concentrations were not effective. In both cultivation systems, the content of K, Ca, and Fe in leaves was higher in autumn compared to spring. Nitrogen nutrition improved the weight of plants—an effect that varied depending on the system of cultivation—and increased the phenolic content. N-90 was the optimal level of nitrogen nutrition. More intensive N-nutrition did not significantly modify plant yields or phenolic content. We Concluded that N fertilisation might be an effective tool to obtain plants with high bioactive compound content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Soil Fertility and Plant Growth Promoters on Horticultural Crops)

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