The Alleviation Effects of Biostimulants Application on Lettuce Plants Grown under Deficit Irrigation

tau he aim of this study was to examine the potential of using biostimulants for the amelioration of deficit irrigation effects on field-grown lettuce plants growth parameters (cv. Doris (Romaine type) and cv. Manchester (Batavia type)). Therefore, five biostimulatory products that differed in their composition were evaluated, including seaweed extracts, amino acids, humic and fulvic acids, macronutrients, Si, and vegetable proteins, while a control treatment with no biostimulants applied on plants was also considered. Plants were subjected to three irrigation regimes, e.g., rain-fed plants (RF), deficit irrigation (I1; 50% of field capacity) and normal irrigation (I2; 100 of field capacity). The results indicate that the application of seaweed extracts, macronutrients, and amino acids (SW treatment) alleviated the negative effects of deficit irrigation on plant growth and chlorophyll content of Romaine-type plants. On the other hand, Batavia-type plants were more susceptible to water stress, since the highest crop yield plant was observed under the full irrigation treatment and the application of vegetal proteins and amino acids (VP treatment). In general, the application of biostimulants on the Romaine type improved plant growth under water shortage conditions compared with fully irrigated plants in almost all measurements, whereas the Batavia-type plants appeared to be more sensitive to deficit irrigation. Therefore, the ecofriendly practices of deficit irrigation and biostimulant application could be useful in leafy vegetable production on a genotype-depended manner.

Automated summary

This study examines the potential of using biostimulants to improve the growth of field-grown lettuce plants under deficit irrigation. The results show that different types of biostimulants can alleviate the negative effects of water shortage on the growth and chlorophyll content of Romaine-type lettuce plants, while the impact on Batavia-type lettuce plants is less significant. Therefore, the application of biostimulants can improve the growth of leafy vegetables to some extent, but the effectiveness may vary depending on the genotype.