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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Effects of Biostimulants on Horticultural Crop Production
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Effects of Biostimulants on Horticultural Crop Production

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Fruit Production Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 5911

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Monika Tkalec Kojić

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Production and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: floriculture; medicinal plants; compost; biostimulants
Dr. Tomislav Vinković

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Production and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: vegetable crops; herbs; biofortification; nanobiotechnology; biostimulants; physiology of stress
Dr. Nada Parađiković

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Full Professor in Retirement, Department of Plant Production and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: horticulture; floriculture; vegetables; medicinal plants and herbs; biostimulants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Horticultural crop production includes a variety of production systems that are typified by lower land requirements compared to agricultural practices; however, horticultural production systems are nevertheless expected to yield high-quality products for human consumption. Such production requires intensive use of water, soil, fertilizers and pesticides, often applied in excess and leaving a significant environmental impact. Taking into account the increasing demand for healthier diets, the rising global population and the negative impacts of climate change, it is evident that this rapidly growing branch requires establishment of more sustainable production practices. A promising solution may come in the form of the application of biostimulants as pure compounds or as formulations of bioactive compounds that enhance plant and root growth, nutrient uptake, tolerance to abiotic stress, and crop quality. The application of biostimulants offers a balanced approach that considers both productivity and the environment by reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Today, many studies have become available that confirm the positive effects of biostimulants on the mentioned characteristics of plants or the plant rhizosphere, and a huge number of compounds, including inorganic materials, microorganisms, humic acid, fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates, seaweed extracts, and industrial wastes, are currently used as biostimulants. Yet, there is a clear lack of knowledge regarding whether these compounds may have synergistic effects if applied in combination. Moreover, research on their effects on plant physiology and how they impact horticultural crops at the molecular level is still required.

This Special Issue aims to survey the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of biostimulants in horticultural crop production, whilst also discussing their composition, timing, and mode of application in order to elucidate their mode of action, increase their efficiency, and achieve more sustainable high-yield production.

Dr. Monika Tkalec Kojić
Dr. Tomislav Vinković
Dr. Nada Parađiković
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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

  • biostimulants
  • microorganisms
  • humic acid
  • fulvic acids
  • protein hydrolysates
  • seaweed extracts
  • industrial wastes
  • abiotic stress
  • horticultural crops
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3064 KiB  
Article
Biostimulants Applied in Seedling Stage Can Improve Onion Early Bulb Growth: Cultivar- and Fertilizer-Type-Specific Positive Effects
by Qianwen Zhang, Jun Liu, Sang Jun Jeong, Joseph Masabni and Genhua Niu
Horticulturae 2025, 11(4), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11040402 - 10 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 449
Abstract
Biostimulants play an active role in sustainable crop production. While biostimulants are thought to have long-term effects on plant growth, little research has been conducted to confirm this hypothesis. In this study, we investigated the long-term residual effects of biostimulants applied exclusively during [...] Read more.
Biostimulants play an active role in sustainable crop production. While biostimulants are thought to have long-term effects on plant growth, little research has been conducted to confirm this hypothesis. In this study, we investigated the long-term residual effects of biostimulants applied exclusively during the onion seedling stage on subsequent plant growth. Three onion cultivars (‘Carta Blanca’, ‘Don Victoro’, and ‘Sofire’) were evaluated with the application of nine microbial biostimulants (LALRISE Mycorrhizae, LALRISE Bacillus velezensis, Mighty Mycorrhizae, MycoApply, Spectrum, Spectrum DS, Spectrum Myco, Tribus Original, and Tribus Continuum), one seaweed extract (Kelpak), and two fertilizer types (conventional and organic fertilizer). Plant morphology and biomass were investigated during the early bulb stage of onion growth. Parameters such as plant height, neck diameter, bulb diameter, and the fresh and dry weights of the shoot, bulb, and root were measured. The results indicated significant cultivar-specific effects of microbial biostimulant and fertilizer type, as well as their interactions, on onion early bulb growth. While seaweed extract exhibited minimal residual impact, specific microbial biostimulants, such as Mighty Mycorrhizae and MycoApply, significantly enhanced bulb growth in the red onion ‘Sofire’. Tribus Continuum was found to increase bulb growth of the yellow onion ‘Don Victoro’. Positive effects of microbial biostimulants on onion growth were also observed with LALRISE Bacillus velezensis, Spectrum Myco, Spectrum, and LALRISE Mycorrizae. Furthermore, microbial biostimulants demonstrated more significant positive effects on onion growth when applied in conjunction with organic fertilizer. In conclusion, microbial biostimulants exhibited long-term positive effects on onion plant growth even when applied solely during the seedling stage prior to transplanting. However, these effects were significantly influenced by onion cultivar and fertilizer type, with the greatest benefits observed when combined with organic fertilizer. We recommend MycoApply and Mighty Mycorrhizae for growers seeking to enhance onion productivity, particularly in organic cultivation, as the two products enhanced bulb and leaf growth in ‘Sofire’ and ‘Don Victoro’. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biostimulants on Horticultural Crop Production)
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Review

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34 pages, 822 KiB  
Review
The Role of Organic Extracts and Inorganic Compounds as Alleviators of Drought Stress in Plants
by Pedro Garcia-Caparros, Michele Ciriello, Youssef Rouphael and Maria Giordano
Horticulturae 2025, 11(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11010091 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1360
Abstract
Climate changes have exacerbated the progression of drought conditions on a global scalethreating to crop production and heightening concerns over food security. Water scarcity enforces alterations in fundamental morphology, physiology and biochemical traits in crops. Consequently, it is imperative to identify environmentally sustainable [...] Read more.
Climate changes have exacerbated the progression of drought conditions on a global scalethreating to crop production and heightening concerns over food security. Water scarcity enforces alterations in fundamental morphology, physiology and biochemical traits in crops. Consequently, it is imperative to identify environmentally sustainable alternative solutions to mitigate this problem and enhance overall plant performance. In this sense, biostimulants have emerged as a promising alternative as they improve plant resilience, enhance physiological processes, and mitigate the detrimental consequences of water deficit conditions on crop production. This review compiles the latest research on the application of organic extracts and inorganic compounds in crops subjected to drought conditions, specifically humic acids, protein hydrolysates, seaweed extracts, and silicon. Moreover, it offers a comprehensive overview of the origins and effectiveness of these biostimulants, with a detailed analysis of their application and the associated physiological, biochemical, and genetic modifications induced by these bioactive compounds. This knowledge enhances the understanding of the efficacy and implementation strategies pertinent of these compounds under water stress scenarios in agricultural settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biostimulants on Horticultural Crop Production)
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22 pages, 1949 KiB  
Review
Protein Hydrolysates—Production, Effects on Plant Metabolism, and Use in Agriculture
by Igor Pasković, Ljiljana Popović, Paula Pongrac, Marija Polić Pasković, Tomislav Kos, Pavle Jovanov and Mario Franić
Horticulturae 2024, 10(10), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10101041 - 30 Sep 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3412
Abstract
Agriculture is facing challenges to produce more food in a climate scenario that works in the opposite direction. To amend this, agriculture has to invent new ways of making more with less. Interest in using by-products and finding new ways to utilize them [...] Read more.
Agriculture is facing challenges to produce more food in a climate scenario that works in the opposite direction. To amend this, agriculture has to invent new ways of making more with less. Interest in using by-products and finding new ways to utilize them has been increasing in recent years. The use of protein-rich sources for protein hydrolyzation and the use of these protein hydrolysates as biostimulants in plant production have been increasing. These mixtures are mainly produced by chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis from agro-industrial protein-rich by-products of animal, plant, and algal origins. The application of PHs has the potential to alleviate environmental stress; improve plant growth; and increase productivity, fruit yield, and abiotic-stress tolerance in agricultural crops. The use of these biostimulants offers a way to reduce the use of agrochemicals and agrees with the “do more with less” task in the future of agricultural production. This review gives an insight into the production of PHs, referring to sources of raw materials and methods of hydrolysis, the uptake and translocation of PHs, their effect on plant growth, the development and physiology, their role in alleviating stressful conditions, and their use in agriculture. The beneficial effects of PHs on different aspects of plant physiology, metabolism, and plant functioning under stressful conditions are evident. Inconveniently, crops, and sometimes even cultivars, are affected differently based on the way that PH is applied, the timing, and the concentration applied. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which the components of PHs modify plant physiology and metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biostimulants on Horticultural Crop Production)
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