Zeolite and Ascophyllum nodosum -Based Biostimulant Effects on Spinach Gas Exchange and Growth

Donato Castronuovo, Alessandro Comegna, Claudia Belviso, Antonio Satriani and Stella Lovelli ()
Additional contact information
Donato Castronuovo: School of Agriculture, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (SAFE), University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Alessandro Comegna: School of Agriculture, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (SAFE), University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Claudia Belviso: Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (CNR-IMAA), Tito Scalo (PZ), 85050 Potenza, Italy
Antonio Satriani: Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (CNR-IMAA), Tito Scalo (PZ), 85050 Potenza, Italy
Stella Lovelli: School of Agriculture, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences (SAFE), University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano, 85100 Potenza, Italy

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-8

Abstract: Among the innovative practices of dry-farming in recent years, the possibility of the combined use of biostimulants and soil conditioners is assuming an important role. In a preliminary pot experiment, this study aimed to verify the combined effects of Ascophyllum nodosum -based biostimulant and zeolite applied to the soil on gas-exchange and spinach growth. We also monitored the soil water content to study the effect on spinach soil water uptake. Pots were filled with soil to which zeolite and an Ascophyllum nodosum -based biostimulant were added. Spinach plants grew into pots and were subjected to four treatments: (1) soil plus zeolite at a percentage of 1%, (2) soil plus the biostimulant, (3) soil plus zeolite at 1% and biostimulant, (4) bare soil as control. The use of the zeolite and the A. nodosum -based biostimulant led to a higher (+10%) soil water content, highlighting the positive role in allowing a good water uptake by the spinach plant. Plant growth was not changed, while only photosynthesis showed an increase equal to 6% in spinach plants. These results are discussed with the soil water content variation according to modification induced by treatments. The combined use of zeolite and A. nodosum -based biostimulant can be considered a strategy to improve water storage and, at the same time, improve spinach cultivation in terms of sustainability.

Keywords: soil moisture; available water content; soil conditioner; Spinacia oleracea L. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/754/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/754/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:4:p:754-:d:1105951

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().