Species-Dependent Impacts on the Nutritional Profile of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Rocket (Eruca sativa L.) Plants Following to Foliar Application of Yeast Suspensions

Abstract

AbstractThe foliar application of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suspensions is a widely used small-scale horticultural practice against stress impacts and to boost vegetative and nutritional characteristics. In this study, the impact of two strains of S. cerevisiae was investigated on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and rocket (Eruca sativa L.) plants in terms of vegetative growth and nutritional content, focusing on antioxidant properties (FRAP, DPPH, TPC, lycopene) and chlorophyll content. The treatments were applied in two dilutions (0.1 and 1% v/v) and two frequencies (once and three times). When the type strain solutions were applied, DPPH values of both tomato and rocket samples were elevated up to 7.18 and 17.98 i%, respectively, compared to control values of 6.26 and 14.11 i%, respectively. While the other investigated antioxidant traits (FRAP, TPC, lycopene) were identical or slightly lower, than the control values, total chlorophyll content was significantly increased for tomato, up to 61.18 g/100 g, from the control value of 53.46 g/100 g, and for rocket, reaching 43.14 g/100 g, from the control value of 39.13 g/100 g, after using instant yeast solutions. Among the combinations, the double-sprayed 1% suspension and the single-sprayed 0.1% suspension had the most favorable impact on the investigated nutritional traits. Species-level application technology details are still open for refinements.