Yield and Quality of Processing Tomato as Improved by Biostimulants Based on Trichoderma sp. and Ascophyllum nodosum and Biodegradable Mulching Films

Tomato is a great source of bioactive compounds, is important for human health, and is cultivated worldwide. However, the high inputs required for its cultivation must be sustainably managed in order to limit yield losses, thus obtaining high-quality and environmentally friendly production. In this perspective, we compared four biostimulant treatments, i.e., Ascophyllum nodosum extract—Bio; microbial biostimulant containing the micro-organism Trichoderma afroharzianum—Mic; a combination of both—M-B; not treated—Control) and three mulch treatments (biodegradable film Ecovio—ECO; biodegradable film MaterBi®—NOV; bare soil—BS) and evaluated their effects on yield and quality traits in processing tomato. Both biodegradable films elicited a 27.0% yield increase compared to plants grown on bare soil, and biostimulants determined a 23.7% increase over the Control, with the best performance recorded for M-B (+24.8%). Biodegradable MaterBi® film (NOV) was associated with higher total soluble solids (TSS) and firmness values (average of 4.9 °Brix and 1.30 kg cm−2, respectively), even if a significant effect of biostimulants was observed only for the second element. Carotenoid content was higher in non-treated plants grown on bare soil as well as hydrophilic antioxidant activity (AA), but in this case, no differences between biostimulant treatments were recorded. The lipophilic AA in NOV-treated plants was about six and four times higher than observed in BS and ECO treatments, respectively; NOV also caused a 38.7% increase in ascorbic acid content over the Control but was not different from ECO. All biostimulant treatments elicited a 30% increase in phenol content compared to Control plants. Our findings highlight that microbial biostimulants based on A. nodosum extract and T. afroharzianum (both applied singularly and combined) can be considered a sustainable tool for increasing yield and improve some quality traits of processing tomato; in addition, we also confirmed the capability of biodegradable mulches, in particular, MaterBi®, to enhance the agronomic performance of tomato.

[1]  M. Mori,et al.  Assessing Yield and Quality of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Improved by Biodegradable Mulching Film , 2023, Plants.

[2]  M. Mori,et al.  Agronomic and environmental benefits of ‘re-using’ a biodegradable mulching film for two consecutive lettuce cycles , 2022, Italian Journal of Agronomy.

[3]  A. Piccolo,et al.  Mineral Biofortification and Growth Stimulation of Lentil Plants Inoculated with Trichoderma Strains and Metabolites , 2021, Microorganisms.

[4]  Youssef Rouphael,et al.  Foliar application of plant-based biostimulants improve yield and upgrade qualitative characteristics of processing tomato , 2021 .

[5]  A. Salluzzo,et al.  Plant Growth, Yields and Fruit Quality of Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) as Affected by the Combination of Biodegradable Mulching and Digestate , 2021, Agronomy.

[6]  G. Erice,et al.  A Microbial-Based Biostimulant Enhances Sweet Pepper Performance by Metabolic Reprogramming of Phytohormone Profile and Secondary Metabolism , 2020, Frontiers in Plant Science.

[7]  Y. Rouphael,et al.  Toward a Sustainable Agriculture Through Plant Biostimulants: From Experimental Data to Practical Applications , 2020, Agronomy.

[8]  M. Mori,et al.  Trichoderma spp. and Mulching Films Differentially Boost Qualitative and Quantitative Aspects of Greenhouse Lettuce under Diverse N Conditions , 2020, Horticulturae.

[9]  K. Sivasithamparam,et al.  Beneficial effects of Trichoderma secondary metabolites on crops , 2020, Phytotherapy research : PTR.

[10]  Giovanna Marta Fusco,et al.  Application of Trichoderma harzianum, 6-Pentyl-α-pyrone and Plant Biopolymer Formulations Modulate Plant Metabolism and Fruit Quality of Plum Tomatoes , 2020, Plants.

[11]  Y. Rouphael,et al.  Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC. Yield and Quality as Influenced by Cropping Season, Protein Hydrolysates, and Trichoderma Applications , 2020, Plants.

[12]  G. Zeng,et al.  Are biodegradable plastics a promising solution to solve the global plastic pollution? , 2020, Environmental pollution.

[13]  M. Mori,et al.  Appraisal of Biodegradable Mulching Films and Vegetal-Derived Biostimulant Application as Eco-Sustainable Practices for Enhancing Lettuce Crop Performance and Nutritive Value , 2020, Agronomy.

[14]  D. Geelen,et al.  The Chemical Biology of Plant Biostimulants , 2020 .

[15]  V. Shruti,et al.  Bioplastics: Missing link in the era of Microplastics. , 2019, The Science of the total environment.

[16]  Shih‐Hsin Ho,et al.  A sustainable solution to plastics pollution: An eco-friendly bioplastic film production from high-salt contained Spirulina sp. residues. , 2019, Journal of hazardous materials.

[17]  Di Mola Ida,et al.  The effect of novel biodegradable films on agronomic performance of zucchini squash grown under open-field and greenhouse conditions , 2019 .

[18]  Giovanna Marta Fusco,et al.  Morphological and Physiological Responses Induced by Protein Hydrolysate-Based Biostimulant and Nitrogen Rates in Greenhouse Spinach , 2019, Agronomy.

[19]  H. Alikhani,et al.  Effect of Mulching on Some Characteristics of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) under Deficit Irrigation , 2019 .

[20]  R. Bulgari,et al.  Biostimulants Application in Horticultural Crops under Abiotic Stress Conditions , 2019, Agronomy.

[21]  Yongqiang Tian,et al.  Comparison of plastic film, biodegradable paper and bio-based film mulching for summer tomato production: Soil properties, plant growth, fruit yield and fruit quality , 2019, Scientia Horticulturae.

[22]  C. Fleming,et al.  Biostimulants enhance growth and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana and exhibit chemical priming action , 2019, Annals of Applied Biology.

[23]  G. Bonanomi,et al.  Application of Trichoderma Strains and Metabolites Enhances Soybean Productivity and Nutrient Content. , 2019, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[24]  N. Fiorentino,et al.  Trichoderma-Based Biostimulants Modulate Rhizosphere Microbial Populations and Improve N Uptake Efficiency, Yield, and Nutritional Quality of Leafy Vegetables , 2018, Front. Plant Sci..

[25]  D. Briassoulis,et al.  Evaluation of the functionality of bio-based plastic mulching films , 2018 .

[26]  Kunjie Chen,et al.  Prediction of firmness parameters of tomatoes by portable visible and near-infrared spectroscopy , 2018 .

[27]  C. Miles,et al.  The Use of Biodegradable Mulches in Pie Pumpkin Crop Production in Two Diverse Climates , 2018 .

[28]  C. Miles,et al.  Plastic Biodegradable Mulches Reduce Weeds and Promote Crop Growth in Day-neutral Strawberry in Western Washington , 2017 .

[29]  R. Sharma,et al.  Effect of mulching on soil and water conservation -A review , 2017 .

[30]  Y. Rouphael,et al.  Towards a new definition of quality for fresh fruits and vegetables , 2017 .

[31]  R. Oberti,et al.  Evaluation of Borage Extracts As Potential Biostimulant Using a Phenomic, Agronomic, Physiological, and Biochemical Approach , 2017, Front. Plant Sci..

[32]  G. Borreani,et al.  Chapter 3: Biodegradable Materials in Agriculture: Case Histories and Perspectives , 2017 .

[33]  K. Kasuya,et al.  Influences of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) on soil microbiota and plant growth , 2016 .

[34]  M. Athar,et al.  Management of soil-borne diseases of organic vegetables , 2016 .

[35]  P. Mazzei,et al.  Metabolomics by Proton High-Resolution Magic-Angle-Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Tomato Plants Treated with Two Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Trichoderma. , 2016, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[36]  J. Aibar,et al.  Soil thermal and productive responses of biodegradable mulch materials in a processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) crop , 2016 .

[37]  Nathalie Gontard,et al.  Performance and environmental impact of biodegradable polymers as agricultural mulching films. , 2016, Chemosphere.

[38]  A. Ramsubhag,et al.  The effect of Ascophyllum nodosum extract on the growth, yield and fruit quality of tomato grown under tropical conditions , 2016, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[39]  P. Jardin.  Plant biostimulants: Definition, concept, main categories and regulation , 2015 .

[40]  B. Prithiviraj,et al.  Seaweed extracts as biostimulants in horticulture , 2015 .

[41]  D. Briassoulis,et al.  Degradation in soil behavior of artificially aged polyethylene films with pro‐oxidants , 2015 .

[42]  E. Monte,et al.  Trichoderma genes in plants for stress tolerance- status and prospects. , 2014, Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology.

[43]  M. Lorito,et al.  Trichoderma-based Products and their Widespread Use in Agriculture , 2014 .

[44]  C. Miles,et al.  Biodegradable mulch performed comparably to polyethylene in high tunnel tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production. , 2014, Journal of the science of food and agriculture.

[45]  E. Duarte,et al.  The use of biodegradable mulch films on strawberry crop in Portugal , 2014 .

[46]  M. Schmoll,et al.  Trichoderma research in the genome era. , 2013, Annual review of phytopathology.

[47]  S. Oba,et al.  Phenolic acids, flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity of selected leafy vegetables , 2012 .

[48]  Mathieu Ngouajio,et al.  Polyethylene and biodegradable mulches for agricultural applications: a review , 2012, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[49]  Jeferson Luiz Dallabona Dombroski,et al.  Análise do crescimento de tomate 'SM-16' cultivado sob diferentes coberturas de solo , 2011 .

[50]  D. Waterer.  Evaluation of biodegradable mulches for production of warm-season vegetable crops. , 2010 .

[51]  G. Harman,et al.  Induced systemic resistance and plant responses to fungal biocontrol agents. , 2010, Annual review of phytopathology.

[52]  M. Lorito,et al.  Translational research on Trichoderma: from 'omics to the field. , 2010, Annual review of phytopathology.

[53]  Juan Gil,et al.  Effects of mulching on soil physical properties and runoff under semi-arid conditions in southern Spain , 2010 .

[54]  S. Robinson,et al.  Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People , 2010, Science.

[55]  W. Khan,et al.  Seaweed Extracts as Biostimulants of Plant Growth and Development , 2009, Journal of Plant Growth Regulation.

[56]  H. Gautier,et al.  Regulation of tomato fruit ascorbate content is more highly dependent on fruit irradiance than leaf irradiance. , 2009, Annals of botany.

[57]  P. Aggarwal,et al.  Effect of mulching on soil and plant water status, and the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a semi-arid environment , 2008 .

[58]  K. Sivasithamparam,et al.  Trichoderma–plant–pathogen interactions , 2008 .

[59]  D. Briassoulis,et al.  Biodegradation of Agricultural Plastic Films: A Critical Review , 2007 .

[60]  Vincenzo Fogliano,et al.  Seasonal variations in antioxidant components of cherry tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Naomi F1) , 2006 .

[61]  G. Harman.  Overview of Mechanisms and Uses of Trichoderma spp. , 2006, Phytopathology.

[62]  Gary E. Harman,et al.  Trichoderma species — opportunistic, avirulent plant symbionts , 2004, Nature Reviews Microbiology.

[63]  Mario Dadomo,et al.  Effects of environmental factors and agricultural techniques on antioxidantcontent of tomatoes , 2003 .

[64]  Andrea Bonanome,et al.  Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. , 2002, The American journal of medicine.

[65]  G. Giovanelli,et al.  Stability of dried and intermediate moisture tomato pulp during storage. , 2002, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[66]  D. Roberts,et al.  Combinations of biocontrol agents for management of plant-parasitic nematodes and soilborne plant-pathogenic fungi. , 2002, Journal of nematology.

[67]  E. Bremer,et al.  Foliar application of fungal biocontrol agents for the control of white mold of dry bean caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. , 2000 .

[68]  C. Rice-Evans,et al.  Antioxidant activity applying an improved ABTS radical cation decolorization assay. , 1999, Free radical biology & medicine.

[69]  V. Fogliano,et al.  Method for measuring antioxidant activity and its application to monitoring the antioxidant capacity of wines. , 1999, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[70]  J. Wittes,et al.  Plasma lipoprotein (a) levels in men and women consuming diets enriched in saturated, cis-, or trans-monounsaturated fatty acids. , 1997, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[71]  D. Inzé,et al.  Extraction and determination of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate from plant tissue. , 1995, Analytical biochemistry.

[72]  R. N. Sah,et al.  Nitrate‐nitrogen determination—a critical review , 1994 .

[73]  D. Rudd,et al.  Theory and development of wavelength selective mulches , 1989 .

[74]  George H. Hargreaves,et al.  Reference Crop Evapotranspiration from Temperature , 1985 .

[75]  G. Hobson,et al.  A general method for the instrumental assessment of the colour of tomato fruit during ripening , 1984 .

[76]  A. Wellburn,et al.  Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents , 1983 .

[77]  P. Adams,et al.  Assessing the colour of tomato fruit during ripening , 1983 .

[78]  G. Hobson,et al.  The constituents of tomato fruit--the influence of environment, nutrition, and genotype. , 1981, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.