Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop
The scarcity of water is limiting crop production and is one of the most important stressors that severely affects crop yield, and it may also decrease the quality of the final products. Most of the medicinal and aromatic plants are considered resilient to water stress and constitute a sustainable c...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2182 |
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| author | Christina Chaski Kyriakos D. Giannoulis Alexios A. Alexopoulos Spyridon A. Petropoulos |
| author_facet | Christina Chaski Kyriakos D. Giannoulis Alexios A. Alexopoulos Spyridon A. Petropoulos |
| author_sort | Christina Chaski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The scarcity of water is limiting crop production and is one of the most important stressors that severely affects crop yield, and it may also decrease the quality of the final products. Most of the medicinal and aromatic plants are considered resilient to water stress and constitute a sustainable choice for crop production in arid and semiarid conditions. In the present study, we examined the effect of scheduled deficit irrigation (e.g., I1: 40% of field capacity); I2: 70% of field capacity; and I3: 100% of field capacity) combined with biostimulant application (four different products that consisted of nitrogenous compounds and carboxylic acids (M1); nitrogenous compounds and seaweed extracts (M2); humic and fulvic acids and seaweed extracts (M3); and CaO, SiO<sub>2</sub>, calcium mobilization and translocation factor and microminerals (M4)) on crop performance and essential oil production of mint plants (<i>Mentha arvensis</i> L.). Our aim was to define an irrigation regime that increases water-use efficiency and the biostimulant products that alleviate water stress effects. Our results indicate that moderate deficit irrigation (I2 treatment) and biostimulants that contained seaweed extracts and nitrogenous compounds and humic and fulvic acids (M2 and M3 treatments, respectively) significantly improved yield parameters in terms of fresh and dry herb yield and essential oil production. Moreover, the same biostimulant treatments significantly increased water-use efficiency of mint crops based on the various yield parameters tested in this study. In conclusion, our results indicate that selection of proper biostimulatory products may allow to apply deficit irrigation regimes in mint cultivation without compromising the crop performance in terms of both biomass production and essential oil yield. Therefore, the combination of these agronomic tools could facilitate water saving strategies in arid and semiarid regions and contribute to the sustainable management of water resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:11:07Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:11:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-029f3c44a82d4051b5a32af1175952102023-11-18T23:56:09ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-08-01138218210.3390/agronomy13082182Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint CropChristina Chaski0Kyriakos D. Giannoulis1Alexios A. Alexopoulos2Spyridon A. Petropoulos3Laboratory of Vegetable Production, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, 384 46 Volos, GreeceLaboratory of Agronomy and Applied Crop Physiology, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, 384 46 Volos, GreeceLaboratory of Agronomy, Department of Agriculture, University of the Peloponnese, Antikalamos, 241 00 Kalamata, GreeceLaboratory of Vegetable Production, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, 384 46 Volos, GreeceThe scarcity of water is limiting crop production and is one of the most important stressors that severely affects crop yield, and it may also decrease the quality of the final products. Most of the medicinal and aromatic plants are considered resilient to water stress and constitute a sustainable choice for crop production in arid and semiarid conditions. In the present study, we examined the effect of scheduled deficit irrigation (e.g., I1: 40% of field capacity); I2: 70% of field capacity; and I3: 100% of field capacity) combined with biostimulant application (four different products that consisted of nitrogenous compounds and carboxylic acids (M1); nitrogenous compounds and seaweed extracts (M2); humic and fulvic acids and seaweed extracts (M3); and CaO, SiO<sub>2</sub>, calcium mobilization and translocation factor and microminerals (M4)) on crop performance and essential oil production of mint plants (<i>Mentha arvensis</i> L.). Our aim was to define an irrigation regime that increases water-use efficiency and the biostimulant products that alleviate water stress effects. Our results indicate that moderate deficit irrigation (I2 treatment) and biostimulants that contained seaweed extracts and nitrogenous compounds and humic and fulvic acids (M2 and M3 treatments, respectively) significantly improved yield parameters in terms of fresh and dry herb yield and essential oil production. Moreover, the same biostimulant treatments significantly increased water-use efficiency of mint crops based on the various yield parameters tested in this study. In conclusion, our results indicate that selection of proper biostimulatory products may allow to apply deficit irrigation regimes in mint cultivation without compromising the crop performance in terms of both biomass production and essential oil yield. Therefore, the combination of these agronomic tools could facilitate water saving strategies in arid and semiarid regions and contribute to the sustainable management of water resources.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2182medicinal and aromatic plants<i>Mentha arvensis</i> L.water stressseaweed extractswater-use efficiencydry herb yield |
| spellingShingle | Christina Chaski Kyriakos D. Giannoulis Alexios A. Alexopoulos Spyridon A. Petropoulos Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop Agronomy medicinal and aromatic plants <i>Mentha arvensis</i> L. water stress seaweed extracts water-use efficiency dry herb yield |
| title | Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop |
| title_full | Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop |
| title_fullStr | Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop |
| title_short | Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop |
| title_sort | biostimulant application alleviates the negative effects of deficit irrigation and improves growth performance essential oil yield and water use efficiency of mint crop |
| topic | medicinal and aromatic plants <i>Mentha arvensis</i> L. water stress seaweed extracts water-use efficiency dry herb yield |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2182 |
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