Abstract
The excessive use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture has raised environmental concerns, prompting the search for sustainable alternatives, such as organic amendments. This study evaluated the agronomic performance, nutrient use efficiency and metabolomic profiles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. baby leaf) cultivated using synthetic and organic (olive mill waste-based compost pellets and sewage sludge) in a controlled pot experiment. The treatments included three doses of inorganic fertilizer and two organic fertilizers applied at equivalent nitrogen (N) rates, alongside an unfertilized control. Soil physicochemical properties, plant biomass, nutrient uptake and metabolite profiles, including amino acids, sugars and organic acids, were analyzed. Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield, despite limited short-term growth stimulation. These findings highlight the potential of integrating moderate mineral fertilization with pelletized compost to balance immediate productivity, nutrient efficiency and long-term soil and metabolic quality in lettuce cultivation.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Inorganic fertilization increased soil mineral N and phosphorus.
- Taxon
- lettuce
Lactuca sativat0 - Treatment
- Inorganic fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- soil mineral N and phosphorus (P)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P)”
t0“Lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
Inorganic fertilization enhanced leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Inorganic fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomasse0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Inorganic fertilization promoted reducing sugar accumulation.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Inorganic fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- accumulation of reducing sugarse0
- Direction
- promotinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05)”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Inorganic fertilization reduced amino acid and phenolic levels.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Inorganic fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- amino acid and phenolic levelse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Sewage sludgee0
- Outcome
- soil organic mattere0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter”
t0“Lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
Sewage sludge increased amino acid and sucrose accumulation.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Sewage sludgee0
- Outcome
- amino acid and sucrose accumulatione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation”
t0“Lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
Sewage sludge induced stress-related metabolites.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Sewage sludgee1
- Outcome
- stress-related metabolitese0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“also induced stress-related metabolites”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Pelletized compost maintained intermediate nutrient availability.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Pelletized composte0
- Outcome
- nutrient availabilitye0
- Direction
- intermediatee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability”
t0“Lettuce”
Claim · model-written summary
Pelletized compost preserved phenolic compounds.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Pelletized composte1
- Outcome
- phenolic compoundse0
- Direction
- preservede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“preserved phenolic compounds”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Pelletized compost improved phosphorus use efficiency.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Pelletized composte1
- Outcome
- phosphorus use efficiencye0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“improved phosphorus use efficiency”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Pelletized compost exceeded sewage sludge for dry matter yield.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- Pelletized composte1
- Outcome
- dry matter yielde0
- Direction
- surpassede0
- Comparator
- sewage sludgee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
t0“Lettuce”
e1“Inorganic fertilization rapidly increased soil mineral N and phosphorus (P), enhancing leaf chlorophyll, canopy development and fresh biomass, and promoting the accumulation of reducing sugars (p < 0.05). However, it reduced amino acid and phenolic levels, indicating a metabolic shift towards growth at the expense of stress and antioxidant compounds. Sewage sludge increased soil organic matter and amino acid and sucrose accumulation, but also induced stress-related metabolites. Pelletized compost maintained an intermediate level of nutrient availability, preserved phenolic compounds and improved phosphorus use efficiency. This surpassed the results achieved with sewage sludge in terms of dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose combining moderate mineral fertilization with pelletized compost to balance productivity, nutrient efficiency, and soil and metabolic quality.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativae0
- Outcome
- integrating moderate mineral fertilization with pelletized composte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“integrating moderate mineral fertilization with pelletized compost to balance immediate productivity, nutrient efficiency and long-term soil and metabolic quality in lettuce cultivation”
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