Abstract
The interest in studies focused on applying probiotic microorganisms is increasing due to sustainable agriculture development. In this research, we aimed to evaluate the impact of two commercial plant probiotics—ProbioHumus and NaturGel on carrot growth, yield, and quality in organic and nonorganic production systems. The research was carried out under laboratory and field conditions. Plants were treated with probiotics (2 L/ha) at the nine leaves stage. Biometrical measurements and chemical analyses were performed at a maturation stage. The average weight of carrot roots increased by 17 and 20 g in the test variant with ProbioHumus as compared to the control in the organic and nonorganic farms, respectively. Plant microbial biostimulants ProbioHumus and NaturGel had a positive effect on the quality of carrots from organic and nonorganic farms: applied in couple they promoted the accumulation of monosaccharides, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenols, and increased antioxidant activity. Quantitative nitrate analysis regardless of the biostimulant used revealed about twofold lower nitrate content of carrots from organic than nonorganic farms, and probiotics did not show a significant effect on nitrate accumulation. Finally, ProbioHumus and NaturGel were effective at low doses. The use of microbial biostimulants can be recommended as an element of cultivation for creating ecologically friendly technologies.
Highlights
The abundant use of unbalanced chemical fertilizers leads to food safety and quality decline problems [1,2]
We aimed to evaluate the impact of two plant commercial probiotics—ProbioHumus and NaturGel on carrots growth, yield, and its quality in organic and conventional production systems
The length of carrot root almost doubled after treatment with ProbioHumus and ProbioHumus + NaturGel, increasing reach by 80% and 98%, respectively (Table 1, Figure 2)
Summary
The abundant use of unbalanced chemical fertilizers leads to food safety and quality decline problems [1,2]. Researchers focused on applying plant-beneficial microorganisms (probiotics) to partially replace chemical fertilizer use, are increasing due to the requirement of sustainable agriculture development and the European Green Deal initiative. Plant biostimulants were defined as any substance or microorganisms supplied to plants primarily with the aim of enhancing the growth and yield of the plants, and increasing crop quality traits, with regard to their nutrients content [4,6,7,8]. It is thought that probiotics could serve as a tool to produce highly functional foods, benefiting human health in a dual way, namely the replacement of chemical fertilizers by biofertilizers and the increase in bioactive compounds [1]. Plant probiotics, applied as biofertilizers could serve as a possible solution to improve the food quality of agricultural crops and vegetables.
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