Abstract
Nowadays agriculture needs to increase crop sustainability and the organic cropping system has emerged as an interesting alternative approach with respect to the conventional one. On the other hand, the current unfavorable yield gap between organic and conventional systems reduces the organic system's value. Processing tomato is a globally important horticultural crop and used as crop model. The objective of this study was to investigate different biofertilizers that could improve the yield and quality of processing tomato in organic cropping system. An experiment was conducted in Po Valley, northern Italy, during spring-summer 2017. The cultivar used was 'Barone Rosso' blocky fruit genotype, using 2.8 plants m-2, in randomized complete block design with seven biofertilizer treatments (pelleted digestate, granular biofertilizer, biochar, compost tea as foliar spray biostimulant, SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, zero biofertilizer as a control) and three replications. Agronomical and physiological parameters were recorded during the crop cycle. Results showed that tomato grown with biochar recorded the maximum commercial yield (136 t ha(-1)), followed by pelleted digestate (117 t ha(-1)) and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant (113 t ha(-1)) while the minimum production (71 t ha(-1)) was recorded in untreated plots. On average, the results revealed that biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased the vegetative vigor of plant (+10%), the number of flowers (+13%) and fruits (+41%), the average weight of fruits (+20%), the total biomass production (+48%), the harvest index (+15%) and the Brix t ha(-1) (+49%), with respect to the control. Considering the overall performance, innovative biofertilizers could be promising to improve yield and quality of processing tomato cultivated in organic cropping systems, reducing the yield gap with conventional one.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar gave the maximum commercial yield of 136 t ha(-1).
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- biochare0
- Outcome
- commercial yielde0
- Direction
- maximume0
- Value
- 136 t ha(-1)e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“tomato grown with biochar recorded the maximum commercial yield (136 t ha(-1))”
Claim · model-written summary
Pelleted digestate yielded 117 t ha(-1).
- Taxon
- processing tomatot0
- Treatment
- pelleted digestatee0
- Outcome
- commercial yielde1
- Direction
- followed bye0
- Value
- 117 t ha(-1)e0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“followed by pelleted digestate (117 t ha(-1))”
e1“tomato grown with biochar recorded the maximum commercial yield (136 t ha(-1))”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost tea plus SiO(2) foliar spray yielded 113 t ha(-1).
- Taxon
- processing tomatot0
- Treatment
- compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulante0
- Value
- 113 t ha(-1)e0
Not reportedComparatorOutcomeDirection
Verbatim
e0“compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant (113 t ha(-1))”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Untreated plots had minimum production of 71 t ha(-1).
Verbatim
e0“minimum production (71 t ha(-1)) was recorded in untreated plots”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The three leading biofertilizers increased vegetative vigor by 10% on average versus control.
Verbatim
e0“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased the vegetative vigor of plant (+10%)”
e1“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased flower number by 13%.
Verbatim
e0“the number of flowers (+13%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased fruit number by 41%.
Verbatim
e0“and fruits (+41%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased average fruit weight by 20%.
Verbatim
e0“the average weight of fruits (+20%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased total biomass production by 48%.
Verbatim
e0“the total biomass production (+48%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased harvest index by 15%.
Verbatim
e0“the harvest index (+15%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The biofertilizers increased Brix t ha(-1) by 49%.
Verbatim
e0“the Brix t ha(-1) (+49%)”
e1“biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased”
e2“with respect to the control”
t0“processing tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Innovative biofertilizers may improve processing tomato yield and quality in organic systems.
Verbatim
e0“innovative biofertilizers could be promising to improve yield and quality of processing tomato cultivated in organic cropping systems, reducing the yield gap with conventional one”
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See all 53 papers →8 of 15 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
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.