Abstract
Experiments were carried out in 2018 and 2019 to evaluate the effects of a biostimulant of animal origin, with a hormone-like action, on the growth and physiology of young olive trees. The biostimulant, consisting of a complex of natural amino acids (glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, etc.), was applied by fertigation to both potted (one-year-old) and field-grown (2 years after transplanting) young olive trees. The control consisted of trees treated with an amount of urea nitrogen equal to the total nitrogen supplied with the biostimulant. Potted trees treated with the biostimulant showed greater growth than the control soon after treatment and up to the end of the vegetative season. Generally, this was associated with higher leaf photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance. At the end of the experiment, all tree parts (roots, stem, shoots, and leaves) of the treated trees had greater biomass than the control. The trunks of field-grown trees treated with the biostimulant had greater growth with respect to the control. Overall, the results indicate the possibility of using the biostimulant based on complexes of natural amino acids to promote the growth of young olive trees.
Highlights
A biostimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim of enhancing nutritional efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrient content [1]
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a biostimulant on the growth and physiology of young olive trees
Trees treated with the biostimulant had greater growth, determined by measuring the stem diameter, soon after application of the treatments (Figure 1)
Summary
A biostimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim of enhancing nutritional efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrient content [1]. Plant biostimulants are designated in commercial products containing mixtures of such substances and/or microorganisms [1]. Biostimulants act by regulating/improving the physiological processes of plants, in order to make them more efficient, in terms of vigour, tolerance/resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and quantity and quality of the yield obtained [1]. Various studies have been carried out on the effect of biostimulants on plant growth and production [3,4,5,6]. Very few studies have evaluated the use of biostimulants on olive
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