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Agronomy
Special Issues
Application of Biological Stimulants in Horticultural Crops
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Application of Biological Stimulants in Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2021) | Viewed by 6908

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chiara Pastore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Interests: grapevine; climate change; abiotic stress; grape physiology; biodiversity; flavonoids; biochemistry; microsatellite; transcriptomic; gene expression
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonio Cellini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy
Interests: plant stress physiology; plant-microbe interactions; VOC signalling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues，

Biological stimulants include substances or microorganisms that enhance nutrition efficiency and stress tolerance in plants. In the present scenario of increased agricultural pressure under global climate change, biostimulants are a promising, environmentally friendly and safe alternative to cope with crop yield losses and decresead quality.

However, their application has so far been hindered by a lower reliability in field conditions, compared to synthetic agrochemicals, that goes with a lack of understanding on the ecological, molecular or biochemical factors that mediate the interaction of their active principles with the plant and the environment.

The present special issue welcomes research papers, communications and review articles providing a mechanistic explanation of the effects of biostimulants or potential biostimulation agents, as well as a systemic perspective in their development or use. The use of multidisciplinary approaches and innovative tools, such as ‘omics’ technologies and precision agriculture methods, is envisaged to achieve an in-depth characterisation of and a better control over plant responses, microbial functions and agroenvironmental conditions.

Dr. Chiara Pastore
Dr. Antonio Cellini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant growth promoting microbes
  • sustainable agriculture
  • crop quality
  • abiotic stress
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • biofertilizers
  • climate change.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 13997 KiB  
Article
Application of Barley Tweaky Spike Mutants for the Study of Effects of Plant Immunity-Related Substances
by Raimondas Šiukšta, Virginija Vaitkūnienė, Rimutė Mačkinaitė and Vytautas Rančelis
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2180; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112180 - 28 Oct 2021
Viewed by 1683
Abstract
Barley developmental mutants tweaky spike (tw) with disturbed auxin pathways possess a unique feature of an increased level of mouldy germinating grains (MGG), which serves as a convenient model to investigate the effects of plant immunity-related substances. The effects of the [...] Read more.
Barley developmental mutants tweaky spike (tw) with disturbed auxin pathways possess a unique feature of an increased level of mouldy germinating grains (MGG), which serves as a convenient model to investigate the effects of plant immunity-related substances. The effects of the auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), auxin inhibitors, salicylic acid (SA), and trans-cinnamic acid (TCA) were studied using the tw-WT system in surface-sterilized and unsterilized germinating grains under high rates of natural infection. Significant differences among the allelic tw mutants were revealed at the natural MGG level and in response to 2,4-D, SA, and TCA. The most effective means against MGG were sterilization and TCA. 2,4-D inhibited root growth in tw and tw2 mutants, occurring only in unsterilized and not sterilized germinating grains, while the opposite was observed for TCA and SA. The tw mutations influenced variations in the seed-borne fungal spectra, decreasing the frequency of Bipolaris sorokiniana and increasing Fusarium spp. Hypochlorite-based surface sterilization methods should be used with caution in studies where the action of exogenous 2,4-D will be analysed in germinating grains. Auxin pathway disturbances specific for pleiotropic tw mutants are generally restricted to organogenesis but not to germination events. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biological Stimulants in Horticultural Crops)
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11 pages, 265 KiB  
Article
Effect of Trichoderma spp. and Fertilization on the Flowering of Begonia × tuberhybrida Voss. ‘Picotee Sunburst’
by Roman Andrzejak, Beata Janowska, Beata Reńska and Tomasz Kosiada
Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1278; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071278 - 24 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the influence of Trichoderma spp. and different fertilization levels on the flowering and nutritional status of Begonia × tuberhybrida Voss. ‘Picotee Sunburst’ plants. Before planting, the tubers were soaked in water or a mixture of [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to assess the influence of Trichoderma spp. and different fertilization levels on the flowering and nutritional status of Begonia × tuberhybrida Voss. ‘Picotee Sunburst’ plants. Before planting, the tubers were soaked in water or a mixture of spore of Trichoderma spp. (T. viride Schumach–Tv14, T. harzianum Rifai–Thr2, T. hamatum/Bonord/Bainier–Th15) in the form of a suspension for 24 h. The plants were fertilized every 7 days with the multi-component Peters Professional Allrounder fertilizer (20:20:20 + microelements) at a concentration of 0.0%, 0.2%, and 0.3%. Trichoderma spp. accelerated the flowering of the ‘Picotee Sunburst’ cultivar by 2.7–8.7 days, stimulated the development of buds and flowers in the plants and affected their size. The plants bloomed most intensively and had the biggest flowers after the treatment with the 0.3% fertilizer. Trichoderma spp. and the fertilization had no effect on the height of the plants and the number of shoots regardless of the fertilizer concentration, but they stimulated the development of leaves. Trichoderma spp. stimulated the production of chlorophyll. They did not affect the uptake of macroelements, but they stimulated the uptake of microelements (Zn, Fe, and B). The higher the fertilizer concentration was, the higher was the content of microelements in the plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biological Stimulants in Horticultural Crops)
12 pages, 5310 KiB  
Article
Crop Response to Leaf and Seed Applications of the Biostimulant ComCat® under Stress Conditions
by Roland Gerhards, Fructueuse N. Ouidoh, André Adjogboto, Vodéa Armand Pascal Avohou, Berteulot Latus Sètondji Dossounon, Alexandra Koupamba Ditti Adisso, Alexandra Heyn, Miriam Messelhäuser, Hans-Joachim Santel and Horst Oebel
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061161 - 5 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2629
Abstract
Although clear evidence for benefits in crop production is partly missing, several natural compounds and microorganisms have been introduced to the market as biostimulants. They are supposed to enhance nutrient efficiency and availability in the rhizosphere, reduce abiotic stress, and improve crop quality [...] Read more.
Although clear evidence for benefits in crop production is partly missing, several natural compounds and microorganisms have been introduced to the market as biostimulants. They are supposed to enhance nutrient efficiency and availability in the rhizosphere, reduce abiotic stress, and improve crop quality parameters. Biostimulants often derive from natural compounds, such as microorganisms, algae, and plant extracts. In this study, the commercial plant extract-based biostimulant ComCat® was tested in two field experiments with maize in the communities of Banikoara and Matéri in Northern Benin and six pot experiments (four with maize and two with winter barley) at the University of Hohenheim in Germany. Maize was grown under nutrient deficiency, drought, and weed competition, and winter barley was stressed by the herbicide Luximo (cinmethylin). ComCat® was applied at half, full, and double the recommended field rate (50, 100, and 200 g ha−1) on the stressed and unstressed control plants as leaf or seed treatment. The experiments were conducted in randomized complete block designs with four replications. The above-ground biomass and yield data of one experiment in Benin were collected. The biostimulant did not promote maize and winter barley biomass production of the unstressed plants. When exposed to stress, ComCat® resulted only in one out of eight experiments in higher barley biomass compared to the stressed treatment without ComCat® application. There was a reduced phytotoxic effect of cinmethylin after seed treatment with ComCat®. Crop response to ComCat® was independent of the application rate. Basic and applied studies are needed to investigate the response of crops to biostimulants and their mechanisms of action in the plants before they should be used in practical farming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biological Stimulants in Horticultural Crops)
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