Natural biostimulants reduce the incidence of BER in sweet yellow pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

Modern greenhouse pepper production should evolve towards more sustainable systems. The growing technique which combines soilless culture and biostimulants may reduce nutrient and water use with beneficial impact on the environment. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate effects of biostimulants application on hydroponically produced pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.) in conditions of reduced fertilization. Positive influence of biostimulant treatment on yield parameters was observed along with significant decrease in incidence of blossom-end rot (BER) in two pepper cultivars. Biostimulants application resulted in overall increase in macro-and microelement content in fruits of treated pepper cultivars. Generally, biostimulants improved the yield of pepper plants grown hydroponically by increasing the nutrient uptake and decreasing the occurrence of BER. Thus, the application of biostimulants could be considered as a good production strategy for obtaining high yields of nutritionally valuable vegetables with lower impact on the environment.

Biostimulants research in some horticultural plant species—A review

“…Pepper plants treated with biostimulants Radifarm ® and Megafol ® showed higher antioxidative activity (Parađiković et al., ,b); fruit yield increased up to 55%, and the incidence of unmarketable fruits affected with blossom‐end rot (BER) decreased (Parađiković, Vinković, Vinković Vrček, Tkalec, et al., ). Similar results were obtained in another experiment with two bell pepper cultivars treated with biostimulants (Radifarm ® , Megafol ® , Viva ® , and Benefit ® ; Table ), where an exceptional influence of biostimulants on pepper yield was observed in a hot summer season, when high temperatures in a greenhouse caused physiological stress in plants (Parađiković, Vinković, Vinković Vrček, & Tkalec, ). Plants were grown hydroponically in rockwool slabs, and biostimulants were applied according to the providers’ recommendation, mixed with the nutrient solution and applied by spraying or watering.…”

“…Again, biostimulant application increased Ca content in fruit, number of fruits per plant, and mean fruit weight; the incidence of BER‐affected fruits decreased. Radifarm ® and Megafol ® treatments affected the mineral composition of both vegetative organs and pepper fruit in plants grown in greenhouse conditions (Parađiković et al., ), but the two tested pepper cultivars responded differently to the biostimulant treatment.…”

Biostimulants Application in Horticultural Crops under Abiotic Stress Conditions

“…Blossom-end rot in pepper is usually caused by a local calcium deficiency in young fruits. Parađiković et al [203] tested four different biostimulant products for their effects on yield and BER incidence on pepper. They also evaluated the application as foliar spray or in a nutrient solution of the same products.…”

Priming winter wheat seeds with the bacterial quorum sensing signal N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL) shows potential to improve plant growth and seed yield

“…The large-scale use of agricultural bactericides and fungicides, their persistence and impact on the wider environment is of increasing concern, with over 284,411 tonnes used worldwide in 2015 [3]. Their use can be reduced by using plant growth-promoting bacterial inoculants as well as bacterially-derived plant growth regulators to treat seeds and seedlings [4-6]. Such ‘green’ technology is becoming more popular, and in some cases, natural phyto-stimulators provide a more lasting impact on crop stress tolerance and increase productivity without undesirable environmental effects [7].…”