Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis
Soilless culture is considered the mostpromising, intensive, and sustainable approach with various advantages for plant production in terms of saving water and nutrients. It can provide consumers with sufficient and high-quality food. However, the commonly used growing substrate for soilless cultiva...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1457 |
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| author | Samir Aydi Sameh Sassi Aydi Asma Marsit Nadia El Abed Rami Rahmani Jalloul Bouajila Othmane Merah Chedly Abdelly |
| author_facet | Samir Aydi Sameh Sassi Aydi Asma Marsit Nadia El Abed Rami Rahmani Jalloul Bouajila Othmane Merah Chedly Abdelly |
| author_sort | Samir Aydi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soilless culture is considered the mostpromising, intensive, and sustainable approach with various advantages for plant production in terms of saving water and nutrients. It can provide consumers with sufficient and high-quality food. However, the commonly used growing substrate for soilless cultivation, coconut fiber (CF), is usually imported and expensive or even unavailable. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of local organic farm resources substrates on tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) plant growth, water relations, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and phytochemical analysis of fruits in a hydroponics culture system. Two growth substrates were evaluated: date-palm waste composted with animal manure (7:3 <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) (DPAM) and date-palm trunk compost (DPT). CF and local soil were utilized as positive and negative controls, respectively, in randomized blocks. The results revealed that DPAM substrate enhanced plant growth and physiology: shoot development, leaves tissues hydration, and photosynthetic parameters, as well as chlorophyll fluorescence. However, DPT and CF improved fruit quality: water, mineral, sugar, and protein content. The antioxidant activity of the fruit extract was the greater in DPAM, reaching 13.8 mg GAEg<sup>−1</sup> DW. This value wasdecreased in soil by 40%. Photosynthesis activity was the most important in DPAM with 12 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, and only 6.4 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> in the soil condition. However, regarding the non-photochemical quenching, the dissipated light energy was greater in soil (0.096 ± 0.02) than in DPAM (0.025 ± 0.04). Date-palm waste-based substrates improved tomato vegetative growth and fruit quality as compared to soil-based culture. Date-palm waste-based substrates supplemented with manure appear to be promising and less expensive alternatives to the coconut fiber substrate extensively used in soilless crops in North Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:28:03Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:28:03Z |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b0858c74ce7648de83909cd7c1a723302023-11-17T17:22:49ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-03-01127145710.3390/plants12071457Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and PhotosynthesisSamir Aydi0Sameh Sassi Aydi1Asma Marsit2Nadia El Abed3Rami Rahmani4Jalloul Bouajila5Othmane Merah6Chedly Abdelly7Laboratory of Biodiversity and Valorisationof Bioresources in Arid Zones (LR18ES36), Faculty of Sciences, University of Gabes, Gabes 6072, TunisiaLaboratory of Biodiversity and Valorisationof Bioresources in Arid Zones (LR18ES36), Faculty of Sciences, University of Gabes, Gabes 6072, TunisiaLaboratory of Biodiversity and Valorisationof Bioresources in Arid Zones (LR18ES36), Faculty of Sciences, University of Gabes, Gabes 6072, TunisiaTechnical Center of Protected and Geothermal Crops, Avenue AboulkacemChabbiCité El Manara, Gabes 6011, TunisiaLaboratory of Biodiversity of Actives Biomolecules (LR22ES02), Higher Institute of Applied Biology Medenine, University of Gabes, Medenine 4119, TunisiaLaboratoire de Génie Chimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INP, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, FranceLaboratoire de ChimieAgro-Industrielle (LCA), Université de Toulouse, INRAe, INPT, 31030 Toulouse, FranceLaboratory of Extremophile Plants, Center of Biotechnology of BorjCedria, P.O. Box 901, Hammam-Lif 2050, TunisiaSoilless culture is considered the mostpromising, intensive, and sustainable approach with various advantages for plant production in terms of saving water and nutrients. It can provide consumers with sufficient and high-quality food. However, the commonly used growing substrate for soilless cultivation, coconut fiber (CF), is usually imported and expensive or even unavailable. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of local organic farm resources substrates on tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) plant growth, water relations, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and phytochemical analysis of fruits in a hydroponics culture system. Two growth substrates were evaluated: date-palm waste composted with animal manure (7:3 <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) (DPAM) and date-palm trunk compost (DPT). CF and local soil were utilized as positive and negative controls, respectively, in randomized blocks. The results revealed that DPAM substrate enhanced plant growth and physiology: shoot development, leaves tissues hydration, and photosynthetic parameters, as well as chlorophyll fluorescence. However, DPT and CF improved fruit quality: water, mineral, sugar, and protein content. The antioxidant activity of the fruit extract was the greater in DPAM, reaching 13.8 mg GAEg<sup>−1</sup> DW. This value wasdecreased in soil by 40%. Photosynthesis activity was the most important in DPAM with 12 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, and only 6.4 µmol CO<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> in the soil condition. However, regarding the non-photochemical quenching, the dissipated light energy was greater in soil (0.096 ± 0.02) than in DPAM (0.025 ± 0.04). Date-palm waste-based substrates improved tomato vegetative growth and fruit quality as compared to soil-based culture. Date-palm waste-based substrates supplemented with manure appear to be promising and less expensive alternatives to the coconut fiber substrate extensively used in soilless crops in North Africa.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1457date-palm compostsoilless culturestomato fruitwater relationphotosynthesischlorophyll fluorescence |
| spellingShingle | Samir Aydi Sameh Sassi Aydi Asma Marsit Nadia El Abed Rami Rahmani Jalloul Bouajila Othmane Merah Chedly Abdelly Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis Plants date-palm compost soilless cultures tomato fruit water relation photosynthesis chlorophyll fluorescence |
| title | Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis |
| title_full | Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis |
| title_short | Optimizing Alternative Substrate for Tomato Production in Arid Zone: Lesson from Growth, Water Relations, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Photosynthesis |
| title_sort | optimizing alternative substrate for tomato production in arid zone lesson from growth water relations chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis |
| topic | date-palm compost soilless cultures tomato fruit water relation photosynthesis chlorophyll fluorescence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/7/1457 |
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