Synergistic Effect of a Plant-Derived Protein Hydrolysate and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Eggplant Grown in Open Fields: A Two-Year Study

Abstract

Plant biostimulants, such as plant protein hydrolysates (PHs) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM), are natural products capable of increasing the yield and quality of crops and decreasing the ecological impact of plant growing cycles. However, there is little research on the mutual application of different categories of biostimulants (microbial and non-microbial). The current study was conducted to examine the effects of “Trainer” PH application (0 or 3 mL L−1) and AM (R. irregularis) inoculation on the growth, yield, quality and nitrogen indices of ”Birgah” F1 eggplant cultivated for two years (2020 and 2021). Results revealed that the combined application of PH and AM significantly enhanced total and marketable yields, average marketable fruit weight and number of marketable fruits by 23.7%, 36.4%, 19.0% and 11.1% compared to non-treated plants (control), respectively. Moreover, biostimulants increased the soluble solids content (SSC), chlorogenic acid, total anthocyanins, K and Mg in the fruits by 16%, 4.6%, 6.4%, 8.6% and 23.9% compared to control plants, respectively. Interestingly, the mutual application of PH and AM improved fruit quality by reducing the glycoalkaloid concentration (−19.8%) and fruit browning potential (−38%). Furthermore, both biostimulants exerted a synergistic action, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen uptake efficiency by 26.7% and 18.75%, respectively. On the other hand, productive and fruit-quality features were significantly influenced by the year due to remarkable differences in terms of maximum temperature between the first and second cultivation cycles. Overall, our research underlined that PH and AM can positively interact to improve the performance of eggplant cultivated in open fields.

Improved Waterlogging Tolerance in Roots of Cucumber Plants after Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

“…This shows that the growth on waterlogged hosts is dependent on both AMF species and host species. Interestingly, AMF in combination with other non-microbial biostimulants (e.g., plant protein hydrolysates) resulted in a synergistic effect on improving nutrient acquisition and plant growth in vegetable crops (e.g., eggplant) [25]. Therefore, the benefits of combining AMF with other biostimulants in cucumber waterlogging tolerance can be investigated in the future.…”

Biostimulants Improve Plant Performance of Rosemary Growth in Agricultural Organic System

“…In both growing seasons, the highest plant height values were found in plants treated with protein hydrolysate. The main reason for protein hydrolysate biostimulatory actions is their peptide and amino acid content [36,54]. Plants use amino acids for a variety of processes, including the synthesis of high-biological-activity compounds, energy production, and protein biosynthesis [38].…”

“…Protein hydrolysates represent another type of biostimulant, and their application can improve primary and secondary plant metabolism [36]. They are mixtures of polyprotein hydrolysate, oligo-protein hydrolysate, and amino acids [37] and can be applied to the leaf or root.…”

Codium fragile (Suringar) Hariot as Biostimulant Agent to Alleviate Salt Stress in Durum Wheat: Preliminary Results from Germination Trials

“…Therefore, the ambitious target of the primary sector for the future (and present) is to produce more food while impacting less on natural resources. In agriculture, efforts are being made in different directions including the reduction of chemical fertilizers’ use [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. In this context, biostimulants are receiving a lot of attention from both researchers and farmers as natural substances able to enhance crop performances [ 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”