Hop Waste Seed Coating (Pilling) as Circular Bioeconomic Alternative to Improve Seed Germination and Trichoderma Development

Sara Mayo-Prieto (), Alejandra J. Porteous-Álvarez, Guzmán Carro-Huerga, Laura Zanfaño, Daniela Ramírez-Lozano, Álvaro Rodríguez-González, Alicia Lorenzana de la Varga and Pedro A. Casquero
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Sara Mayo-Prieto: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Alejandra J. Porteous-Álvarez: AQUATERRA Research Group, CICA—Centro Interdisciplinar de Química e Bioloxia, Universidade da Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071 A Coruña, Spain
Guzmán Carro-Huerga: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Laura Zanfaño: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Daniela Ramírez-Lozano: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Álvaro Rodríguez-González: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Alicia Lorenzana de la Varga: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain
Pedro A. Casquero: Grupo Universitario de Investigación en Ingeniería y Agricultura Sostenible (GUIIAS), Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversidad, Universidad de León, Avenida Portugal 41, 24071 León, Spain

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: This study investigates the use of hop cone residues as a sustainable alternative to peat in seed coating formulations for the delivery of biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma . Some native isolates, T. velutinum T029 and T. harzianum T019 and T059, were tested for their development on peat and hop residues using qPCR. The results showed significantly higher fungal growth in hop cones, indicating their value as a carbon-rich substrate. Seed germination tests on various species showed that hop-based coatings did not inhibit germination and in some cases improved it. Field trials confirmed that bean seeds coated with hops 24 h before sowing outperformed those coated with peat, particularly in integrated production systems, in terms of germination. The results of this study suggest a new area of research: using hop residues in sustainable seed treatments could promote the valorization of agricultural residues, while improving crop establishment and reducing the dependence on synthetic inputs.

Keywords: qPCR technique; biocontrol agents; by-products; sustainable waste management; microbial inoculants (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: 2025
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