Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites

Conventional agricultural production faces numerous challenges due to the pronounced effects of climate change, particularly global warming, and drought more than ever before in history, with the primary concern being to produce adequate yields and high-quality, nutritious plant material. Likewise,...

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Main Authors: Nevena Opačić, Sanja Radman, Sanja Fabek Uher, Božidar Benko, Sandra Voća, Jana Šic Žlabur
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-02-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/483
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author Nevena Opačić
Sanja Radman
Sanja Fabek Uher
Božidar Benko
Sandra Voća
Jana Šic Žlabur
author_facet Nevena Opačić
Sanja Radman
Sanja Fabek Uher
Božidar Benko
Sandra Voća
Jana Šic Žlabur
author_sort Nevena Opačić
collection DOAJ
description Conventional agricultural production faces numerous challenges due to the pronounced effects of climate change, particularly global warming, and drought more than ever before in history, with the primary concern being to produce adequate yields and high-quality, nutritious plant material. Likewise, people are increasingly looking for new sources of food and are becoming aware of the importance of a varied diet and its connection to health. In this sense, stinging nettle (<i>Urtica dioica</i> L.) stands out as a valuable species that is neglected as a food source, as it has a significant content of specialized metabolites, and thus has an extremely high potential for use both nutritionally and pharmacologically, but is still traditionally collected from natural habitats, so it can be of questionable quality and undefined chemical composition. Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly shifting to modern hydroponic cultivation methods in greenhouses. The advantage lies in the easier management and control of a number of factors during cultivation (air temperature and relative humidity, balanced and rational fertilization, minimization of nitrate uptake, etc.), ensuring better conditions for the growth and development of nettle according to its needs. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the technology of stinging nettle cultivation in the field and to show the possibilities of cultivation with modern hydroponic techniques to obtain a final product of consistent and uniform quality, high content of specialized metabolites and significant nutritional value. Research on this topic is still sparse but will certainly increase in the future. Therefore, this review provides all the necessary data for such future studies.
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spelling doaj.art-c6090a60a31b4085befa0fc4df8ec00f2023-11-23T21:42:08ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-02-0111448310.3390/plants11040483Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized MetabolitesNevena Opačić0Sanja Radman1Sanja Fabek Uher2Božidar Benko3Sandra Voća4Jana Šic Žlabur5Department of Vegetable Crops, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Vegetable Crops, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Vegetable Crops, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Vegetable Crops, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Agricultural Technology, Storage and Transport, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Agricultural Technology, Storage and Transport, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaConventional agricultural production faces numerous challenges due to the pronounced effects of climate change, particularly global warming, and drought more than ever before in history, with the primary concern being to produce adequate yields and high-quality, nutritious plant material. Likewise, people are increasingly looking for new sources of food and are becoming aware of the importance of a varied diet and its connection to health. In this sense, stinging nettle (<i>Urtica dioica</i> L.) stands out as a valuable species that is neglected as a food source, as it has a significant content of specialized metabolites, and thus has an extremely high potential for use both nutritionally and pharmacologically, but is still traditionally collected from natural habitats, so it can be of questionable quality and undefined chemical composition. Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly shifting to modern hydroponic cultivation methods in greenhouses. The advantage lies in the easier management and control of a number of factors during cultivation (air temperature and relative humidity, balanced and rational fertilization, minimization of nitrate uptake, etc.), ensuring better conditions for the growth and development of nettle according to its needs. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the technology of stinging nettle cultivation in the field and to show the possibilities of cultivation with modern hydroponic techniques to obtain a final product of consistent and uniform quality, high content of specialized metabolites and significant nutritional value. Research on this topic is still sparse but will certainly increase in the future. Therefore, this review provides all the necessary data for such future studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/483<i>Urtica dioica</i>soilless systemsbioactive compoundscultivated nettlestress factorsfunctional properties
spellingShingle Nevena Opačić
Sanja Radman
Sanja Fabek Uher
Božidar Benko
Sandra Voća
Jana Šic Žlabur
Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
Plants
<i>Urtica dioica</i>
soilless systems
bioactive compounds
cultivated nettle
stress factors
functional properties
title Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
title_full Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
title_fullStr Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
title_full_unstemmed Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
title_short Nettle Cultivation Practices—From Open Field to Modern Hydroponics: A Case Study of Specialized Metabolites
title_sort nettle cultivation practices from open field to modern hydroponics a case study of specialized metabolites
topic <i>Urtica dioica</i>
soilless systems
bioactive compounds
cultivated nettle
stress factors
functional properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/483
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