Background Basil is a high-value aromatic and medicinal plant widely recognized for its rich composition of bioactive compounds with applications in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological responses, growth, and production of bioactive compounds in baby leaf basil cultivated in a hydroponic system supplemented with B-complex vitamins. Methods The experiment was conducted under a controlled environment using a randomized block design with four treatments: control, nicotinamide, thiamine, and pyridoxine. Plants were assessed 14 days after sowing for gas exchange parameters, biometric traits, biomass accumulation, leaf pigments, and bioactive compounds, including phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, antioxidant activity, and sun protection factor. Results Vitamin supplementation reduced intercellular CO2 concentration and significantly increased CO2 assimilation rate, water use efficiency, and carboxylation efficiency. Nicotinamide notably enhanced plant growth, increasing leaf area (78%) and plant height (34.8%), as well as shoot fresh and dry mass (49.7 and 77.9%). Bioactive compound accumulation was also stimulated, with increases of up to 129.1% in phenolics and 159.2% in antioxidant activity, with nicotinamide being superior to the other treatments in all nutraceutical characteristics. Additionally, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were elevated, especially under nicotinamide treatment, which also reduced leaf temperature. Pyridoxine showed intermediate effects, while thiamine presented modest improvements compared to the control. Conclusion Hydroponic supplementation with B vitamins, particularly nicotinamide, enhances physiological performance, biomass production, and the accumulation of bioactive compounds in basil.
Biostimulants have emerged as an innovative and sustainable approach for enhancing plant growth, productivity, quality, and stress tolerance in horticultural crops. Unlike conventional fertilizers and pesticides, biostimulants stimulate natural physiological and biochemical processes that improve nutrient uptake, root development, photosynthesis, flowering, fruit set, and overall crop performance without directly supplying large quantities of nutrients or controlling pests. Biostimulants include a wide range of natural and biological products such as seaweed extracts, humic and fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates, amino acids, beneficial microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), silicon, and microbial inoculants. These substances enhance plant metabolism, increase nutrient-use efficiency, strengthen antioxidant defense systems, improve soil microbial activity, and enhance tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, cold, and nutrient deficiency. Their application has gained increasing attention due to growing concerns regarding excessive chemical fertilizer use, environmental degradation, declining soil fertility, and climate change. Modern technologies, including precision horticulture, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote sensing, and data-driven crop management, further optimize biostimulant application by improving timing and dosage. This paper discusses the types and mechanisms of biostimulants, evaluates their role in improving growth, yield, and quality of horticultural crops, examines their contribution to sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, and explores emerging trends, challenges, and future prospects in biostimulant-based horticultural production systems.
Research Author· European Journal of Food, Fa...· 0 citations
Medicinal and aromatic plants are important sources of secondary metabolites used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and health-related applications. However, the phytochemical and bioactive composition of plant raw materials is often highly variable because it is influenced by genotype, developmental stage, cultivation environment, and post-harvest conditions. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) offers an opportunity to reduce this variability by regulating key aboveground and root-zone factors under reproducible cultivation conditions. This review synthesizes recent research on how environmental control in CEA can influence plant metabolism, biomass formation, phytochemical accumulation, and production value in medicinal and aromatic plants. Particular attention is given to light spectrum and quantity, UV radiation, air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, CO2 concentration, nutrient solution composition, pH, electrical conductivity, root-zone temperature, salinity, and chemical elicitors. The review distinguishes general environmental regulation from controlled elicitation: some factors primarily support growth, resource-use efficiency, and product consistency, whereas others can be applied as defined stimuli to activate stress-related or defense-related secondary metabolism. Evidence indicates that these factors can modify phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, essential-oil constituents, and other bioactive compounds. However, reported phytochemical changes should not be evaluated only by metabolite concentration but also by biomass production, resource input, technological feasibility, and batch-to-batch consistency. The review also highlights the need to move from single-factor optimization toward integrated, plant-informed control strategies that account for factor interactions, treatment timing, genotype specificity, non-destructive feedback, and realistic energy and resource constraints. Integrating plant physiology, phytochemistry, environmental control, and production technology may support the development of CEA as a framework for developing phytochemical standardization protocols and more reproducible production of high-value medicinal plant material, although further validation across batches, production cycles, and resource inputs is required.
N. Safari, G. Samuolienė, A. Viršilė· Agronomy· 0 citations
Pepper fruits contain diverse primary and secondary metabolites, including ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids, which contribute to nutritional quality, antioxidant capacity, coloration, and consumer acceptance. Chilaca chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a Mexican cultivar valued for its distinctive flavor and pungency, representing a valuable resource for studying fruit quality and sustainable crop improvement. This study evaluated the individual and combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth, physiological responses, antioxidant activity, and fruit quality traits. Twelve treatments in a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial designs were evaluated for chlorophyll, soluble solids, biomass, APX and LOX activities, and vitamin C and capsaicin contents at three ripening stages (green, mid-red, and red). Enzyme activities were determined spectrophotometrically, and bioactive compounds were quantified from methanolic fruit extracts. Microbial inoculation primarily improved fruit physiological quality rather than vegetative growth. Biomass and growth traits showed no significant differences among treatments (p > 0.05), whereas biochemical responses exhibited distinct ripening-dependent patterns. APX activity, vitamin C, and capsaicin increased from green to mid-red stages and declined at full ripeness. Bacillus sp.-based treatments (T1 and T2) produced a significant transient increase in LOX activity during mid-ripening, while T7 showed a similar but weaker response. AMF progressively enhanced LOX activity and capsaicin accumulation in green fruits. PGPR effects were strain-dependent, with Bacillus sp. promoting early capsaicin accumulation and A. deleyi favoring higher levels during advanced ripening. Overall, AMF and PGPR differentially regulate antioxidant metabolism, vitamin C accumulation, and capsaicinoid biosynthesis while interacting with mineral fertilization to improve fruit quality. These findings support beneficial microorganisms as sustainable tools for enhancing nutrient-use efficiency and fruit nutritional and functional value without replacing mineral fertilization.
J. G. González Flores, Angel Adrian Bernal Lopez, Mónica Andrea Valdez Solana et al.· Crops· 0 citations
(1) Background: Natural pigments and bioactive compounds have attracted increasing interest as sustainable alternatives to synthetic colorants in food and industrial applications. This study evaluated the effects of foliar-applied thiamin (vitamin B1) on the physiological, growth, and biochemical responses of Celosia argentea L. var. cristata. (2) Methods: Plants are exposed to different concentrations of thiamin (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L−1) and cultivated under protected conditions, in a semi-hydroponic system. (3) Results: Increases of 17.53% in CO2 assimilation rate, 34.0% in carboxylation efficiency, 15.06% in flower fresh weight, and 14.63% in flower dry weight were observed under lower concentrations (50–100 mg L−1). In contrast, higher concentrations (150–200 mg L−1) stimulated the accumulation of flavonoid content, increased by 9.93%. At 200 mg L−1, betacyanin, betaxanthin, and total betalain contents increased by 22.04%, 25.97%, and 23.55%, respectively. (4) Conclusions: Thiamin application induces concentration-dependent responses in Celosia argentea L. Concentrations up to 100 mg L−1 enhance flower production and biomass accumulation, while higher doses stimulate the accumulation of bioactive compounds, antioxidant metabolites, and betalains in flowers. These effects highlight thiamin’s potential to improve ornamental quality and support natural colorant production for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile applications.
E. P. Vendruscolo, G. R. Sant'Ana, Flávio Ferreira da Silva Binotti et al.· Agrochemicals· 0 citations
Hempseed press cake-derived protein hydrolysate (HPH) is a promising plant biostimulant, but its effects on strawberry fruit production under smart greenhouse conditions remain unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of foliar HPH application on growth, mineral accumulation, reproductive traits, yield, fruit quality, and antioxidant properties of strawberry cv. ‘Pharachatan 80’. Plants were grown in a smart greenhouse and treated with water (control), a commercial biostimulant, and HPH at 7.5 and 10.0% (w/v) (HPH7.5 and HPH10.0, respectively). Foliar application was initiated 25 days after transplanting and repeated weekly for five applications. HPH applications showed clear concentration-specific improvements in vegetative growth, mineral accumulation, reproductive performance, fruit yield, and antioxidant quality. As the most effective treatment for overall crop performance, HPH7.5 enhanced plant growth and mineral accumulation, particularly K and Mg. Consequently, it improved both yield components (fruit set, number, weight, size, and total yield) and fruit quality attributes, such as total soluble solids, total phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and ABTS radical-scavenging activity. Conversely, HPH10.0 was more closely associated with N, P, Ca, Fe, Zn, and Mn accumulation, as well as fruit firmness and total anthocyanin content, and DPPH radical-scavenging activity. Principal component analysis confirmed distinct response patterns between HPH concentrations. Thus, HPH7.5 serves as an effective foliar biostimulant to improve strawberry productivity and quality in smart greenhouses.
Phytosanitary seed treatment is widely used to protect soybean seeds and seedlings during critical establishment phase. This study evaluated the physiological quality of seeds, as well as retention and absorption of active ingredients when treatments were applied alone or combined with polymers. Experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design under laboratory, seedbed, and field conditions at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, using the cultivar NEO 590 I2X. Seeds were treated with a commercial product (Standak® Top UBS: fipronil, thiophanate-methyl, and pyraclostrobin), along with four commercial polymers. Analyses included germination, seedling growth, biomass accumulation, and active ingredient leaching and absorption at the VC stage using UHPLC-MS/MS. Results showed that the effects of seed treatments on physiological quality varied depending on the treatment and evaluated variables. Polymer effects on active ingredient retention and leaching depended on treatment combinations. Leaching of active ingredients was minimal, and seedling absorption did not exceed 3.78% of the applied dose per seed, indicating limited uptake under the evaluated conditions. Overall, active ingredient behavior varied according to compound characteristics and environmental conditions, with limited uptake and mobility in the soil-plant system under evaluation. These results should be interpreted considering the cultivar and experimental conditions.
G. D. A. Lopes, Mariana Schopf Atzler, Jacson Ricardo Librelotto et al.· Journal of Environmental Sci...· 0 citations
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