Abstract
The aim of this research was to evaluate the biostimulant effects of an eco-product (EP) containing essential oils of rosemary and eucalyptus on tomato crop. Experiments were conducted to evaluate EP effects on plant growth and physiological parameters (e.g., chlorophyll content), total phenols and antioxidant activity, enzyme activities (e.g., catalase), plant macronutrient content and fresh tomato fruit quality. The application of an EP once (EP-1x) increased tomato plant height by 19%, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content compared to the control (sprayed with water). EP triplicate (EP-3x) application significantly increased yield (0.79 kg plant−1) compared to the control (0.58 kg plant−1). However, application of EP-3x was associated with a higher percentage of fruit cracking in comparison to the control. Total phenols and antioxidant activity were affected from both the use of EP and application frequency. EP application decreased by 27.3% the leaf damage index in comparison to the control. Nutrient content in leaves (N, Mg) was significantly decreased in the case of EP-3x treatment. Fruit firmness was decreased by 19.9% in the case of EP-1x application. Fruit marketability and tomato-like aroma, fresh weight and soluble solids did not differ among the treatments. Further research is required to examine the potential use of essential oils as biostimulants.
Highlights
A main issue for humanity is global food security, as demographic projections place the human population size at 9.5 billion by 2050
Despite the fact that our study showed fruit cracking in tomato, biostimulants can be considered as a useful mean to alleviate the severe effects of water stress and enhance quality of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) pods and seeds [45]
The potential use of an EP containing eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils as a biostimulant was tested in tomato plants
Summary
A main issue for humanity is global food security, as demographic projections place the human population size at 9.5 billion by 2050. Research towards securing food production is focusing, in part, on the use of biostimulants to support agricultural production [2,3,4]. Biostimulants based on amino acids and marine algae have been applied in horticulture for many years [8] Such materials are typically a rich source of phytohormones (e.g., auxins, cytokinins, gibberelins, abscisic acid) and polyphenol compounds [7,9]. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Trichoderma spp. and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria could support food production, especially in low input agriculture (e.g., reduce N and P fertilizers application) [5,11]. Low input agriculture supports climate change mitigation [12] and biostimulants application could support this goal [9,13]
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