scholarly journals Influence of Ecklonia maxima Extracts on Growth, Yield, and Postharvest Quality of Hydroponic Leaf Lettuce

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 440
Author(s):  
Alessandro Miceli ◽  
Filippo Vetrano ◽  
Alessandra Moncada

Ecklonia maxima is a brown algae seaweed largely harvested over the last years and used to produce alginate, animal feed, fertilizers, and plant biostimulants. Their extracts are commercially available in various forms and have been applied to many crops for their growth-promoting effects which may vary according to the treated species and doses applied. The aim of the study was to characterize the effect of adding an Ecklonia maxima commercial extract (Basfoliar Kelp; 0, 1, 2, and 4 mL L−1) to the nutrient solution of a hydroponic floating system on growth, yield, and quality of leaf lettuce at harvest and during cold storage (21 days at 4 °C). The supplementation of the E. maxima extract through the mineral nutrient solutions, especially between 2 and 4 mL L−1, enhanced plant growth and improved the yield and many morphological and physiological traits (biomass accumulation, leaf expansion, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, etc.). Preharvest treatments with E. maxima extract were effective in delaying leaf senescence and extending the shelf-life of fresh-cut leaf lettuce. The delay in leaf decay of treated samples allowed to retain an overall quality over the threshold of marketability for up to 21 d of cold storage, especially using 2 mL L−1 of extract.

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Miceli ◽  
Alessandra Moncada ◽  
Leo Sabatino ◽  
Filippo Vetrano

Gibberellins (GAs) are growth hormones strongly involved in a wide variety of physiological activities. Currently, gibberellins are commercially used to enhance phenotypic characteristics, earliness, and productivity of many vegetable and ornamental crops. In this work, the efficacy of supplementation of low levels of gibberellic acid (0, 10−8, 10−6, and 10−4 M GA3) through the mineral nutrient solution of a floating system on yield and quality of leaf lettuce and rocket plants was tested. The marketability of plants was lost when 10−4 M GA3 was added to the mineral nutrient solution. This study demonstrated that the addition of 10−4 M GA3 exceeded the acceptable threshold for use in hydroponics production systems. Below the concentration of 10−4 M, the presence of GA3 in the mineral nutrient solutions (MNS), especially at 10−6 M GA3, stimulated plant growth and enhanced the yield. Various morphological and physiological traits were enhanced by GA3 treatments (biomass accumulation, leaf expansion, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency (WUE), Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), etc.), with superimposable trends in both lettuce and rocket. The addition of 10−6 M GA3 to the nutrient solution of a hydroponic floating system can promote growth and quality of lettuce and rocket plants.


Horticulturae ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Miceli ◽  
Filippo Vetrano ◽  
Leo Sabatino ◽  
Fabio D’Anna ◽  
Alessandra Moncada

Plant growth regulators are used in high-value vegetable crops during cultivation and after harvest to increase yield, enhance crop management, and improve or retain the produce quality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality characteristics during cold storage of minimally processed leaf lettuce and rocket, obtained from plants grown in a hydroponic floating system with mineral nutrient solutions (MNS) containing different levels of gibberellic acid (GA3). Plants were grown in greenhouse conditions on nutrient solutions containing 0, 10−8, and 10−6 M GA3. At harvest, lettuce and rocket were immediately processed as fresh-cut vegetables and stored for 21 d at 4 °C. After processing, weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and nitrate content, leaf color characteristics, and overall quality were evaluated. Adding 10−6 M GA3 to the MNS of a floating system significantly increased the yield of leaf lettuce and rocket plants and of minimally-processed leaves. In addition, preharvest GA3 treatments had positive effects on delaying senescence and enhancing shelf-life of minimally processed lettuce and rocket. The slowed senescence of GA3-treated samples maintained an overall quality over the threshold of marketability in both lettuce and rocket for up to 21 d of cold storage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Mahshid Doryanizadeh ◽  
Mahmood Ghasemnezhad ◽  
Atefeh Sabouri

<p>Fruit nutrient elements content during harvest could considerably effect on postharvest life of apples. In this study, apple fruits cultivar Red Delicious were harvested at the commercial maturity stage at 20 commercial orchards. Fruits were divided into three groups according to peel color; dark red, medium and light red. The mineral elements nutrient content such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium and their ratios were measured in the harvested fruits. Thereafter, fruits were places in the cold storage at 0 °C and relative humidity of 90% for 4 months. The characteristics such as fruits weight loss, firmness, TSS, dry matter, total anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity, respiration rate and ethylene production were measured at the end of storage. The results showed a positive significant correlation between fruit firmness at the end of storage time with N+K:Ca, K+Mg:Ca, K:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios. Furthermore, a negative significant correlation was found between total anthocyanin with Nitrogen content, Mg:Ca and N:Ca ratios. The results also showed a positive significant correlation between fruit respiration rate and Nitrogen, N+K:Ca and N:Ca ratios. The analysis of regression based on mean values of three red apple groups showed a significant negative correlation between total anthocyanin with fruit ethylene production at the storage time and Mg:Ca ratio. The relationship between these two variables and Anthocyanin was expressed by the equation of regression: Anthocyanin = 100.22–1.651 Ethylene–43.963 Mg:Ca. Overall, the results confirm that measurement of fruit mineral composition during harvest time could be a strategy for predicting postharvest behaviors of apple fruits at the cold storage. Also the results showed that a relationship between mineral nutrient composition and the characteristics such as firmness, anthocyanin, respiratory rate in apple fruits.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 193-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asaad Habibie ◽  
Navid Yazdani ◽  
Mahmoud Koushesh Saba ◽  
Kourosh Vahdati

Processes ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Tatenda Gift Kawhena ◽  
Umezuruike Linus Opara ◽  
Olaniyi Amos Fawole

This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic and starch-based coating and two polyliners (Liner 1-micro-perforated Xtend® and Liner 2-macro-perforated high-density polyethylene) on whole ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit during cold storage (5 ± 1 °C and 95 ± 2% RH). Uncoated (UC) and coated (GAMS) fruit were packaged into standard open top ventilated cartons (dimensions: 0.40 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.12 m high) with (GAMS + Liner 1, GAMS + Liner 2, UC + Liner 1 and UC + Liner 2) or without (UC and GAMS) polyliners. After 42 d, treatment GAMS + Liner 1 recorded the least weight loss (4.82%), whilst GAMS recorded lower (8.77%) weight loss than UC + Liner 2 (10.07%). The highest (24.74 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) and lowest (13.14 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) respiration rates were detected in UC and GAMS + Liner 1, respectively. The highest and lowest total soluble solids were recorded for GAMS (16.87 °Brix), and GAMS + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix) and UC + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix), respectively. Overall, no decay was detected for coated fruit packaged with either Liner 1 or Liner 2. Therefore, the combination of GAMS with Xtend® polyliners proved to be an effective treatment to maintain the quality of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranates during storage.


1998 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil P. Ranwala ◽  
William B. Miller

Experiments were conducted to evaluate storage temperature, storage irradiance and prestorage foliar sprays of gibberellin, cytokinin or both on postharvest quality of Oriental hybrid lilies (Lilium sp. `Stargazer'). Cold storage of puffy bud stage plants at 4, 7, or 10 °C in dark for 2 weeks induced leaf chlorosis within 4 days in a simulated consumer environment, and resulted in 60% leaf chlorosis and 40% leaf abscission by 20 days. Cold storage also reduced the duration to flower bud opening (days from the end of cold storage till the last flower bud opened), inflorescence and flower longevity, and increased flower bud abortion. Storage at 1 °C resulted in severe leaf injury and 100% bud abortion. Providing light up to 40 μmol·m-2·s-1 during cold storage at 4 °C significantly delayed leaf chlorosis and abscission and increased the duration of flower bud opening, inflorescence and flower longevity, and reduced bud abortion. Application of hormone sprays before cold storage affected leaf and flower quality. ProVide (100 mg·L-1 GA4+7) and Promalin (100 mg·L-1 each GA4+7 and benzyladenine (BA)) effectively prevented leaf chlorosis and abscission at 4 °C while ProGibb (100 mg·L-1 GA3) and ABG-3062 (100 mg·L-1 BA) did not. Accel (10 mg·L-1 GA4+7 and 100 mg·L-1 BA) showed intermediate effects on leaf chlorosis. Flower longevity was increased and bud abortion was prevented by all hormone formulations except ProGibb. The combination of light (40 μmol·m-2·s-1) and Promalin (100 mg·L-1 each GA4+7 and BA) completely prevented cold storage induced leaf chlorosis and abscission.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Soppelsa ◽  
Markus Kelderer ◽  
Claudio Casera ◽  
Michele Bassi ◽  
Peter Robatscher ◽  
...  

Biostimulants have been found effective in enhancing plant resistance toward stressful conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of selected biostimulants to overcome the negative effects of nutrient limitation on the growth performances and on the fruit quality of soilless cultivated strawberry plants. The condition of nutrient limitation was imposed by supplying the plants with only a single fertilization at transplantation and by excluding any further nutrient supply for the entire duration of the experiment (three months, from May to July). Strawberry plants were treated seven times during the period from preflowering up to berry maturation with different classes of biostimulants (humic acids, alfalfa hydrolysate, macroseaweed extract and microalga hydrolysate, amino acids alone or in combination with zinc, B-group vitamins, chitosan, and a commercial product containing silicon) at commercial dosages. The use of alfalfa hydrolysate, vitamins, chitosan, and silicon was able to promote biomass accumulation in roots (four to seven folds) and fruits (+20%) of treated plants, whereas the total leaf area increased by 15%–30%. Nutrient concentrations in leaves and roots showed variations for microelements (e.g., Fe, B, Zn, and Si) in response to biostimulant applications, whereas no significant differences were observed for macronutrient contents among treatments. Final berry yield was found around 20% higher in chitosan- and silicon-treated plants. Chitosan treatment significantly increased pulp firmness (by 20%), while a high nutritional value (e.g., phenolic compounds concentration) was observed in alfalfa- and seaweed-treated fruits (+18%–20% as compared to control). The overall outcomes of the present experiment show that selected biostimulants can be considered as a valid agronomic tool able to contrast the negative consequence of growing crops under insufficient nutritional conditions.


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