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Horticulturae
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Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production
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Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2023) | Viewed by 13015

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kiril Bahcevandziev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, Polytechnic of Coimbra, College of Agriculture, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: seaweeds; organic fertilizers; plant biotechnology; horticulture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Leonel Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology, Marine Algae Laboratory, Centre for Functional Ecology—Science for People & the Planet (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: marine biotechnology; phycology; biodiversity; nutraceuticals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alan T Critchley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Sydney, NS B1P 6L2, Canada
Interests: phyconomy; phycology; applied uses of seaweeds; biostimulants; cultivation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that the human population is increasing (even after COVID-19) and the actual numbers are almost 8 billion citizens. Hence, in 2050, 30% more humans will need to eat, than today. Our situation is not very optimistic as arable land is decreasing regarding the limited availability of fertile soils, increasing urbanization that needs to satisfy that increasing population, unexpected and darammatic weather events linked to climate change, and other abiotic and biotic factors that also limit crop production.

Chemical fertilizers are applied in excessive quantities to provide the nutrients needed to increase agricultural productivity around the world. About 53 billion tons of NPK fertilizers are used annually to supplement the number plant growth and production. 30 - 40% of these nutrients are absorbed by the plants due to the low efficiencies of uptake of these fertilize, the remainder can cause environmental pollution.

These pollution problems raise public health risks require the development of sustainable and eco-friendly technologies that can reduce the application of synthetic fertilizers. We are looking for more environment-friendly solutions that can bring us more and healthier food.

Currently, the use of biofertilizers has emerged as economically beneficial. It is considered an ecologically correct alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Biofertilizer or biological fertilizer is a strain, live or latent, biologically active, or microbial inoculant of bacteria, algae (micro and macro), and fungi (separately, or in combination). This category of inputs can be applied to seeds, plant leaves, soil, or compost, thereby improving nutrient availability and plant nutrient absorption. These inputs are mainly, symbiotic nitrogen fixers, non-symbiotic free-living nitrogen fixers, algae, phosphate solubilizing bacteria, mycorrhizae, and organic fertilizers.

The success of biofertilizers, however, does not depend only on the selection of microorganisms or specific functions, but also on the development of new formulations to guarantee the survival of the inoculated strains. Bioformulations can be improved using biofilm-producing strains, alginate microencapsulation and fluid bed dryer (FBD) based processes.

Prof. Dr. Kiril Bahcevandziev
Prof. Dr. Leonel Pereira
Dr. Alan T Critchley
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • algae
  • fungi
  • bacteria
  • organic fertilizers
  • microencapsulation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7503 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Irrigation Intervals and NPK/Yeast on the Vegetative Growth Characteristics and Essential Oil Content of Lemongrass
by Nourhan Mahmoud, Mahmoud A. H. Abdou, Sabri Salaheldin, Wagdi S. Soliman and Ahmed M. Abbas
Horticulturae 2023, 9(3), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9030365 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1879
Abstract
The growth and quality of medicinal plants are greatly affected by environmental stress, with over half of the world’s agricultural land facing water shortages. This research was conducted over two seasons in 2018 and 2019 and aimed to investigate the influence of varying [...] Read more.
The growth and quality of medicinal plants are greatly affected by environmental stress, with over half of the world’s agricultural land facing water shortages. This research was conducted over two seasons in 2018 and 2019 and aimed to investigate the influence of varying irrigation intervals and partial replacement of mineral fertilizers with biofertilizer (yeast) on the growth, yield, and essential oil content of lemongrass. The study also looked at the effect of the partial substitution of NPK fertilizer with yeast on lemongrass’s ability to withstand water deficit stress. The results showed that water deficit and reducing NPK levels led to a decline in growth characteristics and relative leaf greenness, which was accompanied by an increase in proline content and essential oil percentage. These findings suggest that lemongrass is sensitive to drought and requires adequate nitrogen fertilization. However, extending the irrigation intervals led to an improvement in essential oil content. To achieve high essential oil yield and maintain productivity while considering environmental factors, it is recommended to reduce mineral fertilizer to 50–75% NPK combined with biofertilizer, and space irrigation intervals every 10–15 days. Further research is needed to improve the growth of lemongrass in water-deficient conditions, particularly on newly reclaimed soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production)
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16 pages, 2064 KiB  
Article
Bioassessment of Phylogenetic Relatedness and Plant Growth Enhancement of Endophytic Bacterial Isolates from Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Plant Tissues
by Olawale Israel Omomowo and Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
Horticulturae 2023, 9(3), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9030332 - 02 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1624
Abstract
Cowpea is of great importance to people in most tropical countries of the world. It is the preeminent indigenous African legume and a frontline option for meeting the nutritional protein demands of people and livestock. The use of an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic [...] Read more.
Cowpea is of great importance to people in most tropical countries of the world. It is the preeminent indigenous African legume and a frontline option for meeting the nutritional protein demands of people and livestock. The use of an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fertilizers and agro-pesticides has, in recent times, become an attractive research theme. Therefore, bioprospecting for effective endophytic bacteria isolates as potential bioinoculants for enhancing cowpea productivity makes this research a priority. In this study, cowpea tissues were used to isolate and characterize endophytic bacterial strains through morpho-genotypic techniques and then assessed for their in vitro growth promotion, as well as their in planta growth potential in chamber experiments. In all, 33 endophytic bacterial strains were authenticated by sequencing the 16S rRNA and through further bioinformatics analysis. Also, plant-growth promoting (PGP) genes and seed germination percentage improvements were confirmed in the endophytic bacteria isolates. The research findings highlight that the bacterial strains are molecularly diverse and some of the authenticated endophytic bacteria isolates are potential bioinoculants that can be applied in further studies to improve the agronomic productivity of cowpea plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production)
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16 pages, 3745 KiB  
Article
Seed Priming with Exogenous Amino Acids Improves Germination Rates and Enhances Photosynthetic Pigments of Onion Seedlings (Allium cepa L.)
by Mostafa Abdelkader, Luidmila Voronina, Mikhail Puchkov, Natalya Shcherbakova, Elena Pakina, Meisam Zargar and Marina Lyashko
Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010080 - 08 Jan 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3133
Abstract
As a biostimulant, amino acids play crucial roles in enhancing plant growth and development. These roles, combined with the ability to be approved for organic usage, make amino acids a good choice for sustainable farming systems. This work investigates the effect of onion [...] Read more.
As a biostimulant, amino acids play crucial roles in enhancing plant growth and development. These roles, combined with the ability to be approved for organic usage, make amino acids a good choice for sustainable farming systems. This work investigates the effect of onion seed priming with different exogenous amino acids, specifically the impact of seed priming in enhancing a diverse range of morpho-physiological responses of onion seedlings. Here, we primed onion seeds (Cultivar Giza 6) with ten exogenous amino acids. Based on the growth parameters of onion seedlings, data showed that glutamine significantly improved the most studied parameters. Germination percentage (GP) ranged from 85% in Methionine (Met) to 98.5% in Proline (Pro) and Tryptophan (Try), with 10% over the control treatment. Glutamine (Glu) enhanced the vigor index (VI) of onion, giving the seeds a high ability to produce normal seedlings. The most extended root system (≥3.3 cm) was obtained from Glu, Glycine (Gly), Pro, and Try treatments. The maximum shoot length was obtained from treatments (Glu and Try) with more than 60% over control. Priming onion seeds with amino acids (AAs) increased chlorophyll contents compared with non-primed seeds. Glutamine and Threonine (Thr) had the highest results (122 and 127 μg/g fresh weight, respectively), while the Glu treatment registered the highest Carotene contents with 50% over the control treatment. Furthermore, the data illustrate that the principal component analysis-1 (PCA1) indicates 67.2% variability, and PCA2 indicates 14.8% variability. Strong positive correlations were observed between germination percentage, root length, shoot length, dry matter, chlorophyll a, and carotene. The study concluded that the primed onion seeds by glutamine, proline, and tryptophan had the best germination rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production)
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14 pages, 329 KiB  
Article
Effect of Some Biostimulants on the Vegetative Growth, Yield, Fruit Quality Attributes and Nutritional Status of Apple
by Walid F. A. Mosa, Lidia Sas-Paszt, Sławomir Głuszek, Krzysztof Górnik, Muhammad Akbar Anjum, Abaidalah A. Saleh, Hesham S. Abada and Rehab M. Awad
Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010032 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2684
Abstract
Although the application of chemical fertilizers to crops promotes plant growth and yield, their continuous use affects soil heath and creates environmental pollution. On the other hand, plant biostimulants improve nutrients absorption, plant growth, yield and produce quality and are environment-friendly. Therefore, an [...] Read more.
Although the application of chemical fertilizers to crops promotes plant growth and yield, their continuous use affects soil heath and creates environmental pollution. On the other hand, plant biostimulants improve nutrients absorption, plant growth, yield and produce quality and are environment-friendly. Therefore, an experiment was conducted during 2021-22 to evaluate the effect of some biostimulants on the performance of the apple cv. Anna, planted in a sandy loam soil at Marsa Matruh governorate, Egypt. Ninety trees were randomly selected and sprayed with 4 or 6% moringa leaf extract (MLE), 0.3 or 0.4% seaweed extract (SWE), 1000 or 2000 mg L−1 Fulvic acid (FA), 4% MLE + 0.3% SWE + 1000 mg L−1 FA (combination 1), or 6% MLE + 0.4% SWE + 2000 mg L−1 FA (combination 2) before flowering, during full bloom and one month later and compared with a control (untreated trees). The results demonstrated that spraying MLE, SWE or FA or their combinations positively improved the vegetative growth, fruit set %, fruit yield and fruit physical and chemical characteristics as well as leaf nutritional status. The positive effect of MLE, SWE and FA was increased in parallel to an increase in the used concentration of each one of them. The highest increments in the measured parameters were accompanied by the application of combination 2 over the other treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production)
12 pages, 835 KiB  
Article
Growth and Yield of Okra Exposed to a Consortium of Rhizobacteria with Different Organic Carriers under Controlled and Natural Field Conditions
by Rabia Perveen, Azhar Hussain, Allah Ditta, Abubakar Dar, Ayesha Aimen, Maqshoof Ahmad, Abed Alataway, Ahmed Z. Dewidar and Mohamed A. Mattar
Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010008 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2669
Abstract
Crop yields, soil fertility, and soil quality decline due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The damaging effects of these agrochemicals on the environment can be minimized by integration with eco-friendly approaches, i.e., biofertilizers. These eco-friendly biofertilizers containing plant growth-promoting [...] Read more.
Crop yields, soil fertility, and soil quality decline due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The damaging effects of these agrochemicals on the environment can be minimized by integration with eco-friendly approaches, i.e., biofertilizers. These eco-friendly biofertilizers containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, (PGPR) not only solubilize mineral nutrients for crop uptake but also release phytohormones for their growth improvements. The objective of this research is to use these PGPR’s capacity to promote growth in order to increase okra production. For this purpose, different organic carriers were used, i.e., Press mud, Charcoal, Biochar, Peat, and Compost for PGPR’s inoculation. Before being used as a consortium with various carrier materials, the pre-isolated and characterized PGPR strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for compatibility against one another. The PGPR consortium and carriers were applied in the following treatments, i.e., T0: (control), T1: PGPR, T2: Peat + PGPR, T3: Pressmud+ PGPR, T4: Compost + PGPR, T5: Charcoal + PGPR, and T6: Biochar + PGPR in the present pot and field studies. Under the pot experiment, the results depicted that all treatments showed a significant increase in okra growth, nutrient contents, and yield of okra along with increasing the microbial biomass in the soil but the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat caused the maximum increase. Similarly, the results of the field experiment also showed a significant increase under all treatments but the maximum increase in nutrient contents, growth attributes, and yield of okra was found under the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat (T2). Therefore, this study recommends the use of peat and studied the PGPR consortium as a suitable carrier to develop carrier-based biofertilizers for sustainable okra production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofertilizers Applications in Horticultural Production)
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