Abstract
An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of foliar application of seaweed extract (0.2 %) on the growth, yield and quality of cherry tomato under stress and non-stress conditions. The greenhouse experiment was set up in a randomized block design with four treatments in three replications. Treatments were as follows: V1 - seedlings treated by seaweed extract and subjected to drought; V2 - seedlings treated by seaweed extract and regularly watered; V3 - non-treated seedlings subjected to drought; V4 - non-treated seedlings regularly watered. Cherry tomato seedlings treated by seaweed extract had a lower content of proline and higher leaf water potential compared to non-treated seedlings under stress conditions, indicating that application of this fertilizer contributes to better adaptation of cherry tomato seedlings to stress. Treatment with seaweed extract also positively influenced the yield and quality of cherry tomato (total soluble solids, vitamin C, lycopene) under both standard and drought stress conditions as compared to untreated plants in same conditions. Positive effects of seaweed extract on growth and quality of cherry tomato are result of its specific composition, as well as ability of cherry tomato plants to utilize bioactive substances in seaweed extracts for its growth and development.
Highlights
Water stress caused by drought induces morphology, biochemistry and physiology changes in plant, leading to considerable reductions in plant growth and productivity (Atkinson and Urwin, 2012; Li and Mattson, 2015)
The results of the proline estimation indicated an increase of the proline level in leaves of all cherry tomato seedlings exposed to drought stress conditions
In experiment variant where cherry tomato seedlings were treated by ANE, the increase of proline in leaves during drought stress was much lower compared with non-treated seedlings grown under same conditions (Figure 2)
Summary
Water stress caused by drought induces morphology, biochemistry and physiology changes in plant, leading to considerable reductions in plant growth and productivity (Atkinson and Urwin, 2012; Li and Mattson, 2015). Application of seaweed extract might contribute to the strengthening of the plant defense system against stress since the seaweed extracts are very rich in bioactive compounds, including betaine, proline, and aromatic amino acids (Arioli et al, 2015). Bio-algeen S-92 (Shulze & Hermsen GmbH, Germany) is an organic fertilizer for foliar supplemental feeding, derived from seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jol. According to the product specification Bio-algeen S-92 contains 96 % water, 0.02 % N, 0.006 % P, 0.096 % K, 0.31 % Ca, 6.3 mg l-1 Fe, 1 mg l-1 Zn, 0.6 mg l-1 Mn, vitamins (B1, B3, B6, B9 and vitamin E), a certain amount of essential amino acids: alanine, glycine, tryptophan, histidine, proline, glutamine and other active natural substances such as organic acids and microelements that provide lots of benefits for plant growth and development (Dobromilska et al, 2008). As far as we know, the possible application of this preparation in greenhouse production of cherry tomato has not been tested so far, especially under drought stress conditions
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