Abstract
Seaweed extract (SE) application is a contemporary and sustainable agricultural practice used to improve yield and quality of vegetable crops. Plant biofortification with trace element is recognized as a major tool to prevent mineral malnourishment in humans. Mo deficiency causes numerous dysfunctions, mostly connected to central nervous system and esophageal cancer. The current research was accomplished to appraise the combined effect of Ecklonia maxima brown seaweed extract (SE) and Mo dose (0, 0.5, 2, 4 or 8 µmol L−1) on yield, biometric traits, minerals, nutritional and functional parameters, as well as nitrogen indices of spinach plants grown in a protected environment (tunnel). Head fresh weight (FW), ascorbic acid, polyphenols, N, P, K, Mg and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were positively associated with SE treatment. Moreover, head FW, head height (H), stem diameter (SD), ascorbic acid, polyphenols, carotenoids as well as NUE indices were enhanced by Mo-biofortification. A noticeable improvement in number of leaves (N. leaves), head dry matter (DM) and Mo concentration in leaf tissues was observed when SE application was combined with a Mo dosage of 4 or 8 µmol L−1. Overall, our study highlighted that E. maxima SE treatment and Mo supply can improve both spinach production and quality via the key enzyme activity involved in the phytochemical homeostasis of SE and the plant nutritional status modification resulting in an enhanced spinach Mo tolerance.
Highlights
Modern agriculture must face the double task of nourishing the worldwide population and diminishing the ecological impact of horticultural systems [1,2]
The upsurge of crop yields prompted by Seaweed extract (SE) application under optimal or unfavourable cultivation conditions has been linked with a number of physiological and biochemical mechanisms, including the elicitation of enzymes included in carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathways, the Krebs cycle and glycolysis, the stimulation of phytohormones and the boost of mineral uptake and accumulation of treated plants via root morphology alterations [15,16,17]
Statistical analysis for head fresh weight (FW), head height (head H) and stem diameter (SD) displayed no significant interaction between SE and Mo treatments (Table 1)
Summary
Modern agriculture must face the double task of nourishing the worldwide population and diminishing the ecological impact of horticultural systems [1,2]. One of the most pioneeristic agronomic practices to meet these challenges is the use of plant biostimulants which can elicit growth and development, productivity, abiotic stress tolerance and quality of plants [3,4]. Along with the persistent concern of maximizing the yield of horticultural crops, there is an urgent request for vegetables of high quality. This is motivated by the increasing attention of consumers to vegetables containing high amounts of nutritional and biofunctional compounds. As specified by Pennington et al [24] and Rose et al [25], bread and pasta are the principal food providers of dietary Mo ingestion, followed by vegetables
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