Abstract
Microbial inoculants such as Trichoderma-based products are receiving great interest among researchers and agricultural producers for their potential to improve crop productivity, nutritional quality as well as resistance to plant pathogens/pests and numerous environmental stresses. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effects of Trichoderma-based biostimulants under suboptimal, optimal and supraoptimal levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization in two leafy vegetables: Iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.). The yield, nutritional characteristics, N uptake and mineral composition were analyzed for each vegetable crop after inoculation with Trichoderma strains T. virens (GV41) or T. harzianum (T22), and results were compared to non-inoculated plants. In addition, the effect of the Trichoderma-based biostimulants on microbes associated with the rhizosphere in terms of prokaryotic and eurkaryotic composition and concentration using DGGE was also evaluated. Trichoderma-based biostimulants, in particular GV41, positively increased lettuce and rocket yield in the unfertilized plots. The highest marketable lettuce fresh yield was recorded with either of the biostimulant inoculations when plants were supplied with optimal levels of N. The inoculation of rocket with GV41, and to a lesser degree with T22, elicited an increase in total ascorbic acid under both optimal and high N conditions. T. virens GV41 increased N-use efficiency of lettuce, and favoured the uptake of native N present in the soil of both lettuce and rocket. The positive effect of biostimulants on nutrient uptake and crop growth was species-dependent, being more marked with lettuce. The best biostimulation effects from the Trichoderma treatments were observed in both crops when grown under low N availability. The Trichoderma inoculation strongly influenced the composition of eukaryotic populations in the rhizosphere, in particularly exerting different effects with low N levels in comparison to the N fertilized plots. Overall, inoculations with Trichoderma may be considered as a viable strategy to manage the nutrient content of leafy horticulture crops cultivated in low fertility soils, and assist vegetable growers in reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers, developing sustainable management practices to optimize N use efficiency.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Trichoderma biostimulants, especially GV41, increased lettuce yield in unfertilized plots.
- Taxon
- lettuce
Lactuca sativae0 - Treatment
- Trichoderma-based biostimulantse0
- Interactor
- Trichoderma
Trichodermae0symbiont - Outcome
- lettuce and rocket yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- unfertilized plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Trichoderma-based biostimulants, in particular GV41, positively increased lettuce and rocket yield in the unfertilized plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Trichoderma biostimulants, especially GV41, increased rocket yield in unfertilized plots.
- Taxon
- rockete0
- Treatment
- Trichoderma-based biostimulantse0
- Interactor
- TrichodermaTrichodermae0symbiont
- Outcome
- rocket yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- unfertilized plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Trichoderma-based biostimulants, in particular GV41, positively increased lettuce and rocket yield in the unfertilized plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Either biostimulant gave the highest marketable lettuce yield at optimal N.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Treatment
- biostimulant inoculationse0
- Outcome
- marketable lettuce fresh yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Qualifier
- optimal levels of Ne0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The highest marketable lettuce fresh yield was recorded with either of the biostimulant inoculations when plants were supplied with optimal levels of N”
Claim · model-written summary
GV41 increased rocket total ascorbic acid under optimal and high N.
- Taxon
- rockete0
- Treatment
- GV41e0
- Outcome
- total ascorbic acide0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Qualifier
- under both optimal and high N conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The inoculation of rocket with GV41, and to a lesser degree with T22, elicited an increase in total ascorbic acid under both optimal and high N conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
T22 increased rocket total ascorbic acid under optimal and high N.
- Taxon
- rockete0
- Treatment
- T22e0
- Outcome
- total ascorbic acide0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Qualifier
- under both optimal and high N conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The inoculation of rocket with GV41, and to a lesser degree with T22, elicited an increase in total ascorbic acid under both optimal and high N conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
GV41 increased lettuce nitrogen-use efficiency.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Treatment
- T. virens GV41e0
- Interactor
- T. virens GV41Trichoderma virense0symbiont
- Outcome
- N-use efficiencye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“T. virens GV41 increased N-use efficiency of lettuce, and favoured the uptake of native N present in the soil of both lettuce and rocket”
Claim · model-written summary
GV41 favoured uptake of native soil nitrogen in lettuce.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Treatment
- T. virens GV41e0
- Interactor
- T. virens GV41Trichoderma virense0symbiont
- Outcome
- uptake of native Ne0
- Direction
- favourede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“T. virens GV41 increased N-use efficiency of lettuce, and favoured the uptake of native N present in the soil of both lettuce and rocket”
Claim · model-written summary
GV41 favoured uptake of native soil nitrogen in rocket.
- Taxon
- rockete0
- Treatment
- T. virens GV41e0
- Interactor
- T. virens GV41Trichoderma virense0symbiont
- Outcome
- uptake of native Ne0
- Direction
- favourede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“T. virens GV41 increased N-use efficiency of lettuce, and favoured the uptake of native N present in the soil of both lettuce and rocket”
Claim · model-written summary
Biostimulant benefits for nutrient uptake and crop growth were more marked in lettuce.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Outcome
- nutrient uptake and crop growthe0
- Direction
- more markede0
- Comparator
- lettucee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The positive effect of biostimulants on nutrient uptake and crop growth was species-dependent, being more marked with lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
Biostimulation was greatest under low nitrogen availability in both crops.
Verbatim
t0“Leafy Vegetables”
e0“The best biostimulation effects from the Trichoderma treatments were observed in both crops when grown under low N availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Trichoderma inoculation changed rhizosphere eukaryotic composition differently at low and fertilized N.
- Taxon
- Leafy Vegetablest0
- Treatment
- Trichoderma inoculatione0
- Interactor
- TrichodermaTrichodermae0symbiont
- Outcome
- composition of eukaryotic populations in the rhizospheree0
- Comparator
- N fertilized plotse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Leafy Vegetables”
e0“The Trichoderma inoculation strongly influenced the composition of eukaryotic populations in the rhizosphere, in particularly exerting different effects with low N levels in comparison to the N fertilized plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors recommend Trichoderma inoculation for nutrient management and reduced synthetic fertilizer use in leafy crops.
- Taxon
- leafy horticulture cropse0
- Treatment
- inoculations with Trichodermae0
- Interactor
- TrichodermaTrichodermae0symbiont
- Outcome
- reducing the use of synthetic fertilizerse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, inoculations with Trichoderma may be considered as a viable strategy to manage the nutrient content of leafy horticulture crops cultivated in low fertility soils, and assist vegetable growers in reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers, developing sustainable management practices to optimize N use efficiency”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.