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Agronomy
Special Issues
Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production
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Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2022) | Viewed by 12674

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yoshiharu Fujii

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of International and Innovative Agriculture Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8538, Japan
Interests: allelopathy; organic farming; cover crop; bioactive natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Biostimulants include organic compounds and microorganisms that are applied to plants or soils to improve crop yield, quality, vigour, and tolerance to insects, diseases, weeds, or abiotic stresses. Thus, these unique bioactive compounds eventually contribute to the robustness of soil and plants, whilst enhancing productivity even in harsh environmental conditions and despite climate change. Bioeffectors are active naturally occurring compounds or viable microorganisms which directly or indirectly affect plant performance and thus have the potential to reduce fertilizer and agrochemical use in crop production. Allelopathy and allelochemicals are related concepts, according to which bioactive substances produced by plants or microorganism influence other organisms. With an increasing world population, farmers will need to increase crop production either by increasing the amount of cultivated fields or by enhancing productivity through the adoption of new or improved agricultural techniques. In effect, biostimulants and bioeffectors can be further explored to improve crop productivity whilst ensuring the sustainabilty of the environment.

This Special Issue will focus on the effects of biostimulants and bioeffectors on plant growth and crop production. Novel research, reviews, and technical articles of biostimulants and bioeffectors function, from the chemical level to the field level, toward their effective use in future agriculture are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Yoshiharu Fujii
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biostimulants
  • bioeffectors
  • microorganisms
  • crop production
  • crop quality
  • allelopathy
  • allelochemicals
  • organic agriculture
  • soil rubustness
  • climate change

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 1797 KiB  
Communication
Wax Extracted from Waste Cauliflower Leaves Shows Potential Antitranspirant Efficacy When Applied to Rapeseed Plants
by Michele Faralli, Minuka Weerasinghe, Gee-Sian Leung, Ray Marriott, Melville Miles and Peter Kettlewell
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020455 - 11 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3135
Abstract
The stress from excessive transpiration of water from plant leaves can damage crop growth during droughts. Specific commercial biostimulant products (antitranspirants) are available to reduce transpiration when applied to plants, but these products are expensive. Antitranspirants from waste would be cheaper, and the [...] Read more.
The stress from excessive transpiration of water from plant leaves can damage crop growth during droughts. Specific commercial biostimulant products (antitranspirants) are available to reduce transpiration when applied to plants, but these products are expensive. Antitranspirants from waste would be cheaper, and the aim of this research was to extract leaf wax from a fresh produce processing waste and conduct a preliminary evaluation of its antitranspirant efficacy. Supercritical CO2 was used to extract wax from cauliflower leaves, and after formulating for spraying, the wax was applied to young rapeseed plants in three consecutive experiments. The wax was compared with a commercially-available terpene antitranspirant (di-1-p-menthene) for efficacy in reducing stomatal conductance and water use. In two of the three experiments, stomatal conductance was significantly reduced to similar extents by wax and by di-1-p-menthene, despite the wax being formulated and applied at a much lower concentration. Water use was reduced by wax in one experiment. Further research is needed on formulation, spraying conditions, and dose-response. These preliminary results demonstrate the potential for extracted leaf wax to act as a biostimulant and ameliorate plant drought stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production)
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19 pages, 3806 KiB  
Article
Effects of NAA and Ecklonia maxima Extracts on Lettuce and Tomato Transplant Production
by Alessandra Moncada, Filippo Vetrano, Alessandro Esposito and Alessandro Miceli
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020329 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3817
Abstract
Ecklonia maxima and the commercial biostimulants produced from it contain various plant growth regulators that are responsible for the growth stimulation recorded in many crops. Auxins are one of the major plant growth regulators contained in E. maxima extracts. The aim of this [...] Read more.
Ecklonia maxima and the commercial biostimulants produced from it contain various plant growth regulators that are responsible for the growth stimulation recorded in many crops. Auxins are one of the major plant growth regulators contained in E. maxima extracts. The aim of this research was to evaluate the growth-promoting effect of a seaweed extract from E. maxima on lettuce and tomato transplant production under nursery conditions, and to compare the effect of this extract with an equal concentration of synthetic auxin. Two doses of natural or synthetic exogenous auxins (50 or 100 μg L−1) were supplied to the substrate through the irrigation water with an ebb and flow system, 4, 11, and 18 days after sowing. A commercial biostimulant based on E. maxima extract was used as a source of natural auxin, while 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was used as a synthetic auxin. Seedlings supplied only with water were used as a control. Tomato seedlings treated with 100 μg L−1 of natural auxins from E. maxima extract produced the tallest plants (+22%), with a higher leaf number (+12%), a wider leaf area (+44%), and a stronger stem (+12%), whereas lettuce seedling growth was promoted by all the treatments, but with a greater effect with increasing auxin supplementation and when using E. maxima extract, compared to NAA. The results showed that the supplementation of exogenous synthetic auxin (NAA), or an E. maxima extract containing natural auxins, can have a growth-promoting effect on lettuce and tomato seedlings. This effect was more evident on lettuce than tomato. The biostimulant produced from E. maxima extracts improved seedling quality and promoted shoot and root growth more than the NAA used as a synthetic source of auxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production)
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15 pages, 912 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Reduced Mineral Fertilisation Combined with the Foliar Application of Biostimulants and Fertilisers on the Nutrition of Maiden Apple Trees and the Contents of Soil Nutrients
by Sławomir Świerczyński and Agnieszka Antonowicz
Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2438; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122438 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1914
Abstract
The experiment compared the use of a dose of mineral fertilisation reduced by half in a nursery, which was replaced by foliar treatment with biostimulants and fertilisers. The control combination was a full dose of mineral fertilisation without foliar treatments. The half dose [...] Read more.
The experiment compared the use of a dose of mineral fertilisation reduced by half in a nursery, which was replaced by foliar treatment with biostimulants and fertilisers. The control combination was a full dose of mineral fertilisation without foliar treatments. The half dose of mineral fertiliser applied into the soil decreased its acidity and salinity. At the same time, it decreased the soil content of macro- and micronutrients, except for calcium and iron. In most cases the simultaneous foliar application of the four biostimulants tested in our experiment reduced the content of macronutrients in the leaves of maiden apple trees, except for calcium. On the other hand, it increased the iron (28.2% average) and manganese (24.8% average) levels in the leaves but reduced the levels of zinc (11.8% average) and copper (25% average). The foliar application of two fertilisers increased the leaf contents of phosphorus (12% average) and calcium (9.3% average). One of the fertilisers also increased the leaf contents of potassium, magnesium, and micronutrients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production)
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25 pages, 9245 KiB  
Article
Growth, Yield, Quality, and Phytochemical Behavior of Three Cultivars of Quinoa in Response to Moringa and Azolla Extracts under Organic Farming Conditions
by Rasha S. El-Serafy, Abdel-Nasser A. El-Sheshtawy, Usama A. Abd El-Razek, Ahmed F. Abd El-Hakim, Mostafa M. A. Hasham, Rokayya Sami, Ebtihal Khojah and Amina A. M. Al-Mushhin
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2186; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112186 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2924
Abstract
Increased demand for quinoa as a functional food has resulted in more quinoa-growing areas and initiatives to increase grain production, particularly in organic agriculture. Quinoa seeds are a superfood with incredible nutritional benefits. They are abundant in secondary metabolites with significant medicinal activity. [...] Read more.
Increased demand for quinoa as a functional food has resulted in more quinoa-growing areas and initiatives to increase grain production, particularly in organic agriculture. Quinoa seeds are a superfood with incredible nutritional benefits. They are abundant in secondary metabolites with significant medicinal activity. This report was consequently performed to investigate whether Azolla fliculoides (AE) or moringa leaf extract (MLE) foliar spray can be supplemented as organic extracts to enhance quinoa growth and productivity under organic farming. Three quinoa cultivars, KVL–SRA2 (C1), Chipaya (C2), and Q–37 (C3), were grown organically and subjected to foliar spraying with AE or MLE at a 20% ratio, as well as their combination (AE+MLE). Plant performance of the three cultivars was significantly enhanced by MLE or AE applications as compared with control plants. The highest outputs were obtained by AE+MLE treatment, which significantly increased the seed yield by about 29% as compared with untreated plants. Seed quality exhibited a marked increase in response to AE+MLE that was superior in this regard as it showed higher protein, carbohydrates, saponine, tannins, phenolics, and flavonoids content. The C3-cultivar demonstrated the highest productivity, saponine, and flavonoids levels as compared to the other cultivars. Overall, the current study indicated that foliar spray with AE+MLE could enhance growth and productivity as well as quality and pharmaceutical active ingredients of quinoa cultivars grown under farming conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biostimulants and Bioeffectors on Crop Production)
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