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Synergistic effect of microbial and nonmicrobial biostimulants on growth, yield, and nutritional quality of organic tomato
Author(s) -
Sani Md. Nasir Hossain,
Islam Md. Nazrul,
Uddain Jasim,
Chowdhury Md. Shah Newaz,
Subramaniam Sreeramanan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.1002/csc2.20176
Subject(s) - lycopene , ascorbic acid , rhizosphere , trichoderma , biology , horticulture , yield (engineering) , antioxidant , food science , carotenoid , agronomy , bacteria , biochemistry , materials science , metallurgy , genetics
The current pot experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Farm of Sher‐e‐Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from October 2017 to April 2018, to evaluate the effects of the three biostimulants— Trichoderma ‐based biostimulants (TB), seaweed extract (SWE), and humic substance (HS)—and their combinations on the growth, yield, nutritional quality, and antioxidant properties of tomato ( Lycopersicum esculentum L.). The experiment was constructed in a completely randomized design using four replications. Thirteen treatments of TB, SWE, and HS were included (single and/or in combination) in the experiment, and the impact on growth, yield, nutritional quality, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. The results showed that T 8 (50 g L −1 Trichoderma + 2 g L −1 SWE) increased the growth attributes positively as a result of the synergistic effects that led to a significant increase in yield over all other treatments. The treatment T 8 also elicited an increase in total soluble solids, as well as bioactive molecules such as lycopene and ascorbic acid, thereby increasing the nutritional and functional quality of the tomato fruits. Collectively, Trichoderma and SWE improved soil fertility and promoted the growth of rhizosphere microbes, which eventually led to higher tomato yields and increases in antioxidants and minerals. Soil drenching of SWE along with Trichoderma is therefore considered to be an effective technique for sustainable tomato production of superior quality and higher yield.