LABs Fermentation Side-Product Positively Influences Rhizosphere and Plant Growth in Greenhouse Lettuce and Tomatoes

Gabriele Bellotti, Eren Taskin, Simone Sello, Cristina Sudiro, Rossella Bortolaso, Francesca Bandini, Maria Chiara Guerrieri, Pier Sandro Cocconcelli, Francesco Vuolo () and Edoardo Puglisi
Additional contact information
Gabriele Bellotti: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy
Eren Taskin: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy
Simone Sello: Landlab S.r.l., 36050 Quinto Vicentino, VI, Italy
Cristina Sudiro: Landlab S.r.l., 36050 Quinto Vicentino, VI, Italy
Rossella Bortolaso: Landlab S.r.l., 36050 Quinto Vicentino, VI, Italy
Francesca Bandini: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy
Maria Chiara Guerrieri: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy
Pier Sandro Cocconcelli: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy
Francesco Vuolo: Sacco S.r.l., Via Alessandro Manzoni 29/A, 22071 Cadorago, CO, Italy
Edoardo Puglisi: Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29121 Piacenza, PC, Italy

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: New agronomical policies aim to achieve greener agricultural systems, sustainable fertilizers and fungicides, a reduction in Greenhouse gases (GHG), and an increase in circular economic models. In this context, new solutions are needed for the market, but it is necessary to carefully assess both their efficacy and their ecological impact. Previously, we reported the biostimulatory activity on soil microbiome for a side-product from Lactic Acid Bacteria (LABs) fermentation: a concentrated post-centrifugation eluate. In the present study, we investigated whether this solution could partially substitute mineral N (N70% + N30% from eluate) in a fertigation (N100% vs. N70%) regime for tomato and lettuce under greenhouse conditions. The impact of the application was investigated through plant physiological parameters (number and weight of ripened fruits, shoots, and roots biomass) and biodiversity of the rhizosphere microbial composition of bacteria and fungi (High-Throughput Sequencing—HTS). The eluate (i) enhanced the plant canopy in lettuce; (ii) increased the shoot/root biomass ratio in both tomato and lettuce; and (iii) increased the harvest and delayed fruit ripening in tomato. Moreover, we found a strong correlation between the eluate and the enrichment for OTUs of plant-growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs) such as Sphingomonas sediminicola , Knoellia subterranean , and Funneliformis mosseae . These findings suggest that integrating the eluate was beneficial for the plant growth, performance, and yield in both tomato and lettuce, and additionally, it enriched specialized functional microbial communities in the rhizosphere. Further studies will investigate the underlying mechanisms regulating the selective activity of the eluate toward PGPMs and its biostimulatory activity towards target crops.

Keywords: biofertilizer; biostimulant; plant science; agroecology; food production; circular economy; high-throughput sequencing; soil microbiome (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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