Abstract
The research described in this paper was conducted at the University of Debrecen, Farm and Regional Research Institute in its Botanical and Exhibition Garden, Hungary. The aim was to investigate the influence of plant biostimulants on the morphological parameters of three lettuce varieties (May King, Kobak and Great Lakes). Willow bark extract and Bistep were used through irrigation and spray onto the plant leaves with the amount of 5% Willow and 0,5% Bistep. Vegetative parameters like head structure (1….10), head weight (g head-1), head closing (1….10), number of leaves, head diameter (cm), internal stem size (cm) and root weight (g head-1) were measured in 2019 and 2020. According to our results, vegetative parameters are significantly affected by plant varieties and treatments. In the experiment of 2019, important vegetative parameters were influenced by the Willow extract, while in the season of 2020 the most influenced parameters were under the impact of Bistep biostimulants followed by Willow+Bistep. However, the most favourable vegetative growth was recorded in the Kobak variety in the season of 2019 followed by May King and Great Lakes varieties in the season of 2020. On the other hand, the interaction effect of plant varieties and plant biostimulants on the vegetative parameters were varied from seasons. For example, for the season 2019, significantly the highest vegetative value was recorded for the interaction of May King variety treated with Willow extract, whereas in 2020, significantly the most influenced vegetative parameters were under the influence of the interaction of Bistep and May King variety followed by the interaction of Willow+Bistep and Kobak variety.
Highlights
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the world’s major cold-season cultivated indoor green leafy vegetable which is grown in entire continents (Mou, 2009)
Our results show that except for the Great Lakes variety in the season of 2019, plants were not significantly different for their head structure, head weight was significantly different among the varieties
Our results confirm that plant biostimulants can play an important role in improving the vegetative parameters of lettuce
Summary
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the world’s major cold-season cultivated indoor green leafy vegetable which is grown in entire continents (Mou, 2009). Humanity has a long history with this crop for either domestication and cultivation. Lettuce plays an important role in the human diet because it contains very low calory and high nutrient value. It can be eaten fresh (leaves) mainly in sandwiches and salads or cooked (internal stem) as it is common in China and Egypt. Lettuce is described as the main sandwich ingredient. People who are eating the product as a diet need to maintain healthier and keep their nutrient balanced of their meals (Spence, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
