PlantsPub Date : 2024-07-15DOI: 10.3390/plants13141940
Marine Chambaud, Ariane Fournier, Clément De Saint Jores, Benjamin Caux, Cyril Colas, Emilie Destandau
{"title":"Oil/Water Biphasic Solvent System for the Eco-Extraction and Cosmetic Formulation of Bixa orellana L.","authors":"Marine Chambaud, Ariane Fournier, Clément De Saint Jores, Benjamin Caux, Cyril Colas, Emilie Destandau","doi":"10.3390/plants13141940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13141940","url":null,"abstract":"Annatto, obtained from the seeds of achiote (Bixa orellana L.), is a widely used orange pigment rich in bixin and other apocarotenoids. This work reports the optimisation of a green extraction method of pigments and antioxidant compounds from achiote as well as its integration in a one-step green extraction-cosmetic formulation process. A biphasic solvent system of water and oil was used to recover simultaneously polar polyphenols, and less polar compounds, such as δ-tocotrienol and bixin. The optimisation of the ultrasound assisted extraction is presented, as well as a comparison of different vegetable oils used as extraction solvents. The composition, physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of the oils were studied and their extraction performance was compared. Refined sunflower oil proved to be a better solvent than virgin olive, jojoba, coconut and grapeseed oils. Both aqueous and oil phases displayed an interesting antioxidant capacity. The oil phase contained 0.9% of bixin, as well as minor apocarotenoids and δ-tocotrienol. Twelve compounds, mainly phenolics, were identified by UHPLC-DAD-HRMS/MS in the aqueous phase. Twenty-one volatile compounds were identified in the volatile fraction by SPME-GC-MS. Lastly, a one-step green process is proposed to combine the extraction and the cosmetic formulation of the bioactive compounds.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"46 30","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141645050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Fertilizer Application Intensity on Carbon Accumulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Moso Bamboo Forest–Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua Agroforestry Systems","authors":"Huiying Chen, Xuekun Cheng, Xingfa Zhang, Haitao Shi, Jiahua Chen, Ruizhi Xu, Yangen Chen, Jianping Ying, Yixin Wu, Yufeng Zhou, Yongjun Shi","doi":"10.3390/plants13141941","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13141941","url":null,"abstract":"Agroforestry management has immense potential in enhancing forest carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change. Yet the impact and response mechanism of compound fertilization rates on carbon sinks in agroforestry systems remain ambiguous. This study aims to elucidate the impact of different compound fertilizer rates on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, vegetation and soil organic carbon (SOC) sinks, and to illustrate the differences in agroforestry systems’ carbon sinks through a one-year positioning test across 12 plots, applying different compound fertilizer application rates (0 (CK), 400 (A1), 800 (A2), and 1600 (A3) kg ha−1). The study demonstrated that, after fertilization, the total GHG emissions of A1 decreased by 4.41%, whereas A2 and A3 increased their total GHG emissions by 17.13% and 72.23%, respectively. The vegetation carbon sequestration of A1, A2, and A3 increased by 18.04%, 26.75%, and 28.65%, respectively, and the soil organic carbon sequestration rose by 32.57%, 42.27% and 43.29%, respectively. To sum up, in contrast with CK, the ecosystem carbon sequestration climbed by 54.41%, 51.67%, and 0.90%, respectively. Our study suggests that rational fertilization can improve the carbon sink of the ecosystem and effectively ameliorate climate change.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"25 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141646346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-07-15DOI: 10.3390/plants13141938
Amira Metouekel, Fadwa Badrana, R. Kachkoul, Mohamed Chebaibi, M. Akhazzane, Abdelfattah El Moussaoui, Nadia Touil, Hamid El Amri, Elmostafa El Fahime, S. El Kazzouli, N. El Brahmi
{"title":"Genetic Characterization and Chemical Identification of Moroccan Cannabis sativa (L.) Seeds: Extraction, and In Vitro and In Silico Biological Evaluation","authors":"Amira Metouekel, Fadwa Badrana, R. Kachkoul, Mohamed Chebaibi, M. Akhazzane, Abdelfattah El Moussaoui, Nadia Touil, Hamid El Amri, Elmostafa El Fahime, S. El Kazzouli, N. El Brahmi","doi":"10.3390/plants13141938","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13141938","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the molecular, phytochemical, and biological aspects of ten local Moroccan traditional landrace Cannabis seeds. Genetic polymorphisms were analyzed using DNA barcode determination, revealing two distinct molecular profiles: “Cannabis, species sativa, subspecies indica” and “Cannabis, species sativa, subspecies sativa”. Furthermore, a new sequence was identified by sequencing of the THCA synthase coding gene. Chemical profiling via HPLC-ESI-FULL-MS and GC-MS-MS of AMSD1 maceration extracts revealed 13 non-volatile chemicals, including 3 inactive cannabinoids and 3 polyphenols, and 24 intriguing volatile compounds, including 7 previously unreported in Cannabis seed extracts. Moreover, the in vitro/in silico analysis provision of biological activities through their antioxidant power, antimicrobial effect, and cytotoxicity potency, as well as antiviral activity, were realized. These results contribute to a thorough comprehension of Moroccan Cannabis seeds, illuminating their molecular, phytochemical, and biological features. Furthermore, they highlight the seeds as a potential source of nutritious components with antioxidant properties, offering valuable insights for future research.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"9 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141646010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3390/plants13111462
Mohamed Emran, Omar M. Ibrahim, A. Wali, Khaled M. Darwish, Rasha M. Badr Eldin, Maryam M. Alomran, Amira M. El-Tahan
{"title":"Assessing Soil Quality, Wheat Crop Yield, and Water Productivity under Condition of Deficit Irrigation","authors":"Mohamed Emran, Omar M. Ibrahim, A. Wali, Khaled M. Darwish, Rasha M. Badr Eldin, Maryam M. Alomran, Amira M. El-Tahan","doi":"10.3390/plants13111462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111462","url":null,"abstract":"Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in Egypt and all over the world. Its productivity is adversely affected by drought due to deficient irrigation to provide nutrients required for plant growth. In a field experiment, silicon foliar applications at concentrations of 0, 200, and 400 mg L−1 were performed at different irrigation rates ranging from 1000 to 4000 m3 ha−1 to assess water irrigation productivity and wheat crop yield in a calcareous soil under arid climate conditions. Increased irrigation rates led to a significant increase in soil nutrient dynamics, as well as in the number and weight of grains per spike, leaf area index, grain yield, straw yield, and biological yield, with the exception of the weight of 1000 grains. Spraying with sodium silicate had a significant impact on grain yield and harvest index but did not significantly impact the other traits. Furthermore, the interaction between irrigation and silicate application rates showed significance only for grain yield, the number of spikes/m2, and the harvest index. Applying three times irrigation could produce the highest nutrient retention, wheat yield, and water irrigation productivity. No significance was observed between 3000 m3 ha−1 and 4000 m3 ha−1 irrigation, indicating a saving of 25% of applied irrigation water. It can be concluded that applying irrigation at 3000 m3 ha−1 could be a supplemental irrigation strategy. High wheat grain yield can be achieved under deficit irrigation (3000 m3 ha−1) on the northwestern coast of Egypt with an arid climate by spraying crops with sodium silicate at a rate of 400 mg L−1.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"32 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141102772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3390/plants13111459
Luhong Zhang, Qiaoyu Tang, Peiwang Li, Changzhu Li, Lijuan Jiang, Jingzhen Chen, Yunzhu Chen, Qiang Liu, Yan Yang
{"title":"Methodological and Physiological Study during Seed Dormancy Release of Symplocos paniculata","authors":"Luhong Zhang, Qiaoyu Tang, Peiwang Li, Changzhu Li, Lijuan Jiang, Jingzhen Chen, Yunzhu Chen, Qiang Liu, Yan Yang","doi":"10.3390/plants13111459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111459","url":null,"abstract":"Symplocos paniculata are reported to exhibit seed dormancy, which impedes its cultivation and widespread adoption. In this study, a comprehensive method was established to overcome seed dormancy by subjecting seeds to scarification in 98% H2SO4 for 10 min, followed by 1000 mg·L−1 GA3 soaking for 48 h and stratification at 4 °C for 100 days. The seed germination percentage has increased significantly, to a peak of 42.67%, though the seeds could not germinate timely by NaOH scarification. Additionally, the dynamic changes of key stored substances (proteins, soluble sugars, starches, and fats), associated enzyme activities (amylases, peroxidase, and catalase), and endogenous hormones (abscisic acid, gibberellic acid, and indole-3-acetic acid) in seeds were investigated. The results demonstrated a continuous degradation of starch and fat in S. paniculata seeds, while the levels of protein and soluble sugar exhibited fluctuations, which probably facilitated seed dormancy breaking through energy supply and transformation. The enzymatic activities underwent rapid changes, accompanied by a gradual decrease in ABA content within the seeds with increasing stratification time. Notably, GA3, GA3/ABA, and (GA3 + IAA)/ABA showed significant increases, indicating their positive regulatory roles in seed germination. This study clarified the dormancy mechanism and established an effective method for the release dormancy of S. paniculata seeds.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"91 20","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141101421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3390/plants13111455
Daniela Olivares, Pablo A. Ulloa, Cristina Vergara, Ignacia Hernández, Miguel García-Rojas, R. Campos-Vargas, R. Pedreschi, B. Defilippi
{"title":"Effects of Delaying the Storage of ‘Hass’ Avocados under a Controlled Atmosphere on Skin Color, Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity","authors":"Daniela Olivares, Pablo A. Ulloa, Cristina Vergara, Ignacia Hernández, Miguel García-Rojas, R. Campos-Vargas, R. Pedreschi, B. Defilippi","doi":"10.3390/plants13111455","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111455","url":null,"abstract":"During ripening, ‘Hass’ avocado skin changes from green to purple/black. Low-temperature storage with a controlled atmosphere (CA) is the most widely used method for avocado storage; however, few studies have simulated this technology and considered the days of regular air (RA) storage prior to CA storage. Herein, the effect of delaying the storage of ‘Hass’ avocado (>30% dry matter) in a CA was examined. Long-term storage conditions (5 °C for 50 days) corresponded to (i) regular air storage (RA), (ii) CA (4 kPa O2 and 6 kPa CO2) and (iii) 10 days in RA + 40 days in a CA and (iv) 20 days in RA + 30 days in a CA. Evaluations were performed during storage and at the ready-to-eat (RTE) stage. Skin color remained unchanged during storage, but at the RTE stage, more color development was observed for fruits stored under CA conditions, as these fruits were purple/black (>50%). At the RTE stage, the anthocyanin content increased, and compared to fruit under RA, fruit under a CA contained a five-fold greater content. A 20-day delay between harvest and CA storage increased the fruit softening rate and skin color development after cold storage, reducing the effectiveness of CA as a postharvest technology for extending storage life.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"66 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141102372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3390/plants13111460
Khushwant Singh, M. Huff, Jianyang Liu, Jong-Won Park, Tara Rickman, Manjunath Keremane, Robert R. Krueger, Madhurababu Kunta, Mikeal L. Roose, Chris Dardick, Margaret Staton, Chandrika Ramadugu
{"title":"Chromosome-Scale, De Novo, Phased Genome Assemblies of Three Australian Limes: Citrus australasica, C. inodora, and C. glauca","authors":"Khushwant Singh, M. Huff, Jianyang Liu, Jong-Won Park, Tara Rickman, Manjunath Keremane, Robert R. Krueger, Madhurababu Kunta, Mikeal L. Roose, Chris Dardick, Margaret Staton, Chandrika Ramadugu","doi":"10.3390/plants13111460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111460","url":null,"abstract":"Huanglongbing (HLB) is a severe citrus disease worldwide. Wild Australian limes like Citrus australasica, C. inodora, and C. glauca possess beneficial HLB resistance traits. Individual trees of the three taxa were extensively used in a breeding program for over a decade to introgress resistance traits into commercial-quality citrus germplasm. We generated high-quality, phased, de novo genome assemblies of the three Australian limes using PacBio long-read sequencing. The genome assembly sizes of the primary and alternate haplotypes were determined for C. australasica (337 Mb/335 Mb), C. inodora (304 Mb/299 Mb), and C. glauca (376 Mb/379 Mb). The nine chromosome-scale scaffolds included 86–91% of the genome sequences generated. The integrity and completeness of the assembled genomes were estimated to be at 97.2–98.8%. Gene annotation studies identified 25,461 genes in C. australasica, 27,665 in C. inodora, and 30,067 in C. glauca. Genes belonging to 118 orthogroups were specific to Australian lime genomes compared to other citrus genomes analyzed. Significantly fewer canonical resistance (R) genes were found in C. inodora and C. glauca (319 and 449, respectively) compared to C. australasica (576), C. clementina (579), and C. sinensis (651). Similar patterns were observed for other gene families associated with potential HLB resistance, including Phloem protein 2 (PP2) and Callose synthase (CalS) genes predicted in the Australian lime genomes. The genomic information on Australian limes developed in the present study will help understand the genetic basis of HLB resistance.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141099264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Great Gerbil Disturbance on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Nutrient Status of Haloxylon ammodendron","authors":"Jinshun Shi, Xingming Hao, Zhongke Wang, Meng Jiang, Mengwen Peng, Jiaqi Bai, Zhuang Li","doi":"10.3390/plants13111457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111457","url":null,"abstract":"Rodents, such as those that feed on plants and nest in plant roots, can significantly affect the growth and development of desert plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Rhombomys opimus disturbance on the photosynthetic characteristics and nutrient status of Haloxylon ammodendron at different growth stages in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The effects of great gerbil disturbance on the photosynthetic characteristics of H. ammodendron at different growth stages were investigated by measuring the gas exchange parameters, instantaneous water use efficiency, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of H. ammodendron at different ages (young, middle, and adult) under the disturbance of great gerbils. The soil nutrients in the assimilated branches and rhizosphere of H. ammodendron at different growth stages were tracked to reveal the relationship between the H. ammodendron nutrient content and gerbil disturbance. The results showed that great gerbil disturbance decreased the organic carbon content in the rhizosphere soil of adult H. ammodendron and increased the total nitrogen content in the rhizosphere soil and the nitrogen and potassium contents in the assimilated branches at each growth stage. The net photosynthetic rate and instantaneous water use efficiency of H. ammodendron decreased at each growth stage, and the maximum photochemical efficiency and non-photochemical quenching parameters of the young H. ammodendron decreased. However, the actual photochemical efficiency and photochemical parameters of the middle H. ammodendron increased. It was concluded that the disturbance of great gerbils decreased the photosynthetic capacity of H. ammodendron and increased the content of total nitrogen in the soil and nitrogen and potassium in the plant. This study revealed that the Gurbantunggut Desert great gerbil and H. ammodendron do not have a simple predation relationship. It laid a foundation for the study of the moderate disturbance threshold and better use of the mutually beneficial relationship between the two.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"2 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141099919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cytological Observation and RNA-Seq Analyses Reveal miR9564 and Its Target Associated with Pollen Sterility in Autotetraploid Rice","authors":"Zijun Lu, Weicong Huang, Lianjun Zhu, Guobin Liang, Yu Huang, Jinwen Wu, Rou Chen, Xiang Li, Xiangdong Liu","doi":"10.3390/plants13111461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111461","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the regulation of autotetraploid sterility is essential for harnessing the strong advantages in genomic buffer capacity, biodiversity, and heterosis of autotetraploid rice. miRNAs play crucial roles in fertility regulation, yet information about their reproductive roles and target genes in tetraploid rice remains limited. Here, we used three tetraploid lines, H1 (fertile), HF (fertile), and LF (sterile), to investigate cytological features and identify factors associated with autotetraploid sterility. LF showed abnormal meiosis, resulting in low pollen fertility and viability, ultimately leading to scarce fertilization and a low-seed setting compared to H1 and HF. RNA-seq revealed 30 miRNA-candidate target pairs related to autotetraploid pollen sterility. These pairs showed opposite expression patterns, with differential expression between fertile lines (H1 and HF) and the sterile line (LF). qRT-PCR confirmed that miR9564, miR528, and miR27874 were highly expressed in the anthers of H1 and HF but not in LF, while opposite results were obtained in their targets (ARPS, M2T, and OsRPC53). Haplotype and expression pattern analyses revealed that ARPS was specifically expressed in lines with the same haplotype of MIR9564 (the precursor of miR9564) as LF. Furthermore, the Dual-GFP assay verified that miR9564 inhibited the fluorescence signal of ARPS-GFP. The over-expression of ARPS significantly decreased the seed setting rate (59.10%) and pollen fertility (50.44%) of neo-tetraploid rice, suggesting that ARPS plays important roles in autotetraploid pollen sterility. This study provides insights into the cytological characteristic and miRNA expression profiles of tetraploid lines with different fertility, shedding light on the role of miRNAs in polyploid rice.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"82 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141101565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PlantsPub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3390/plants13111458
G. Disciglio, A. Tarantino, L. Frabboni
{"title":"Yield and Fruit Characteristics of Tomato Crops Grown with Mineral Macronutrients: Impact of Organo-Mineral Fertilizers through Foliar or Soil Applications","authors":"G. Disciglio, A. Tarantino, L. Frabboni","doi":"10.3390/plants13111458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111458","url":null,"abstract":"The utilization of plant biostimulants has gained importance as a strategy by which to improve plant productivity and soil health. Two independent trials were conducted across two seasons (2021 and 2023) to evaluate the effects of foliar or soil applications of various commercial organo-mineral fertilizers (Futuroot®, Radicon® Amifort®) with biostimulant action that is exerted on yield and fruit characteristics of processing tomato crops (cv Taylor F1) that have been exposed to mineral macronutrients. These treatments were administered three times during the season: at the transplanting, pre-flowering and berry development stages. In the first trial, conducted in two fields characterized respectively by low and high fertility, foliar applications of Radicon®, which is based on humic acid and amino acids, increased the leaf greenness index SPAD compared with the control. Furthermore, the leaf green colour intensity (SPAD index), measured during the reproductive phases of the tomato exhibited a positive correlation (R2 = 0.726) with the marketable yield obtained. This increase in marketable yield was significant in the biostimulant treatment compared with the control in both soils, especially in the soil characterized by lower fertility (16.1%), when compared with the more fertile soil (6.8%). In the second trial, conducted in the low-fertility field mentioned above, soil applications of all biostimulants (Futuroot®, Radicon® and the combinations [Radicon® + Amifort-Plus®]) significantly increased the marketable yield by 27.8%, 13.5% and 27.7%, respectively, compared with the control. The most significant beneficial effects of both Futuroot® and [Radicon® + Amifort®] could be attributed to the combination of humic acids and auxins, cytokinins or microelements (Zn, Mn, MgO) present in the formulation of these products. Furthermore, the increase in marketable yield obtained when Radicon® was applied to leaves was higher (16.1%) than that observed with soil application (13.5%). In both trials, no relevant effects of biostimulant products were observed on most of the physicochemical characteristics of tomato fruits. In conclusion, the biostimulants based on humic acid and amino acids combined with chemical fertilizers tested in the present study and applied by fertigation were more effective in improving tomato yield, and therefore they can be recommended for efficient agricultural production.","PeriodicalId":509472,"journal":{"name":"Plants","volume":"65 20","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141102137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}