Aug 2026· International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences· pp. 567-577· 0 citations· 40 references
Abstract
The use of microbial biostimulants has become an important strategy for improving the productivity and quality of soilless vegetable production systems. However, the potential role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in hydroponic crop production remains insufficiently explored. This study evaluated the effects of three LAB strains, namely Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP), Levilactobacillus brevis (LB), and Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP), their combined mixture, and a commercial PGPR-based product, Rhizofill, on the growth, yield, physiological performance, and nutritional quality of lettuce grown in a floating hydroponic system. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions using Batavia-type lettuce cv. ‘Caipira’ in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Bacterial suspensions were applied to the nutrient solution at 7-day intervals. Bacterial inoculations significantly improved plant growth, yield, SPAD chlorophyll index, leaf sap EC, and antioxidant-related quality traits compared with the untreated control. Among the tested treatments, LP showed the strongest overall performance, increasing plant fresh weight and total yield by 34.0% and 36.0%, respectively, compared with the control. LP also enhanced total phenolic, flavonoid, and L-ascorbic acid contents, indicating a simultaneous improvement in productivity and nutritional quality. LB was particularly effective in promoting root fresh weight and produced the lowest nitrate accumulation among all treatments. Compared with Rhizofill, LP showed equal or superior performance in several growth and quality parameters, suggesting that selected LAB strains may provide an effective alternative to conventional PGPR-based microbial biostimulants. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of LAB, particularly L. plantarum, as emerging microbial biostimulants for sustainable hydroponic lettuce production.
Abstract The soil used is sandy in texture, low in nutrients, and low in organic matter, and therefore has low cation exchange capacity. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of improving their physicochemical and biological properties by inoculating the roots with a solution of Methylobacterium and liquid compost in cauliflower cultivation, as well as integrating a treatment through an automated drip irrigation system. This biostimulant, biofertilizer, and biocontrol agent solution was used, which has applications in agriculture to improve soil health and crop productivity. The experiment was set up under a completely randomized block design with four treatments (T0, T1, T2, and T3), corresponding to doses of 0, 250, 333, and 400 mL per 200 L of water, respectively. The results indicated that treatment T3 significantly optimized the plant's physiological response to salt stress, increasing both its antioxidant capacity and chlorophyll α concentration. Likewise, physical characterization revealed significant differences in the morphological parameters of cauliflower, suggesting greater metabolic resistance and improved nutritional quality. Finally, ultrastructural analysis of the epidermis and stomata using microscopy showed that, while the control treatment (T0) had a collapsed surface, treatment T3 showed a functional and turgid ultrastructure. This demonstrates that the inoculation applied mitigates the phytotoxic impact of the substrate and optimizes the metabolic potential of the crop.
J. A. Legua Cárdenas, E. A. Macavilca Ticlayauri, M. T. Sánchez Calle et al.· Brazilian Journal of Biology· 0 citations
The continuous growth of the global population and the need to ensure food security require the development of sustainable agricultural technologies capable of maintaining crop productivity while reducing environmental impact. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter and Azospirillum have attracted increasing interest due to their ability to improve plant nutrition and stimulate physiological processes associated with growth and productivity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the commercial biostimulant Azotofertil, based on Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum lipoferum, on the agrophysiological response of tomato and pepper plants, in comparison with conventional nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with three fertilization treatments and three biological replicates for each crop species. Soil pH, cultivable Azotobacter spp. populations, plant height, photosynthetic pigment content, vitamin C content, and total yield were evaluated. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) and Pearson correlation analysis. The application of Azotofertil significantly increased the abundance of cultivable Azotobacter spp., photosynthetic pigment content, and vitamin C content, while no statistically significant differences were observed for soil pH or plant height. The most pronounced effect was observed for photosynthetic pigment content, which increased by 26% in tomato and by 21% in pepper compared to the control.
A. Marta, Ștefănica Stoica, M. Covașă et al.· Plants· 0 citations
Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the world's most important cereal crops, and improving its productivity while reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers has become a major goal of sustainable agriculture. The potential role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a biofertilizer evolved as appropriate substitute to neutralize adverse environmental impacts wielded by manmade agrochemical.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis, individually and in combination, on the growth and yield of maize compared with conventional NPK fertilization.
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the 2025 growing season at the Field Crops Research Station, College of Agriculture, University of Samarra, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Six treatments were evaluated: Untreated control (T1), Pseudomonas fluorescens (T2), Bacillus subtilis (T3), combined inoculation (P. fluorescens + B. subtilis) (T4), combined inoculation with NPK fertilizer (T5), and NPK fertilizer (20:20:20) only (T6). Vegetative growth and yield-related traits were recorded and statistically analyzed.
Results: Inoculation of plants with PGPR bacteria resulted in a significant improvement in both vegetative growth and yield compared to the untreated control group. Pseudomonas fluorescens (T2) exhibited the highest vegetative growth rate, recording the highest plant height (148.00 cm), leaf area (365.00 cm²), leaf area index (2.63), and number of grains per spike (688 grains) compared control group recorded (92.33 cm), (10.67 plant⁻¹), (151.73 cm²), (0.70) respectively. Bacillus subtilis (T3), achieved the highest productivity, producing the largest number of spikes per plant (2.67 spikes) and the highest spike weight (283.50 g) compared control group recorded (2.00) and (161.60 g).
Conclusion: The use of PGPR, and especially Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis as potential biofertilisation agents is a promising sustainable alternative to chemical fertilisation that can enhance maize growth and production, while decreasing dependence on mineral fertilisers.
Waser saad Khalaf, Ahmed waleed Abdulrahman· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Microgreens are considered a good source of nutritional and functional compounds, offering humans significant health benefits. Biostimulants are recognized as a sustainable tool to elicit growth and development of vegetables. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of a plant protein hydrolysate (PH) and a seaweed extract (SWE) - supplied via seed priming or root application - on pea and arugula microgreens performance. Moreover, a partial budget analysis was conducted to assess the economic implication of biostimulants application. Hydropriming and PH-priming treatments enhanced pea microgreens yield compared to the root application treatment's counterpart by 53.2% and 33.3%, respectively. Nitrates were increased by SWE application and reduced by PH supply, in both species, compared with the not biostimulated plants, particularly when biostimulants were applied via root application [SWE, + 26.6% (pea); PH, -19.9% (pea), SWE, + 6.5% (arugula); PH, -24.3% (arugula)]. The combination of biostimulants and priming enhanced ascorbic acid compared to the control × root application (negative control) in pea microgreens by 20.9%, whereas, in arugula, either the biostimulants or priming alone significantly improved the aforesaid parameter. Biostimulants boosted total polyphenol content in pea microgreens, supplied via priming (SWE, + 21.5%; PH, 22.8%, compared to the hydropriming) or root application (SWE, + 15.7%; PH, 14.6%, compared with the negative control). Total polyphenols in arugula microgreens increased when PH and SWE were supplied via priming (+14.3%, for both biostimulants, compared to the hydropriming). Biostimulants significantly increased the antioxidant capacity (DPPH), although the method of application did not significantly affect DPPH. These findings confirmed the efficacy of biostimulants in modulating microgreens qualitative features. Furthermore, the partial budget analysis underlined that the use of both biostimulants, independently of the type of application, is economically suitable for pea, but not always convenient for arugula. The application of PH or SWE, especially via root application, was a suitable strategy to increase the nutritive and functional values of pea and arugula microgreens, contributing to their potential as valuable novel foods for human consumption.
B. Consentino, P. Bellitto, Fabiana Mancuso et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
Climate change and increasing demand for local protein resources offer a significant reason to introduce soybean (Glycine max (L.)) in Lithuania, which is beyond soybean’s typical distribution area in Europe. This study was carried out to examine the effect of microbial biostimulant inoculation in combination with chemical micronutrients on soybean under the edaphic condition of Lithuania. A three-year field trial (2023–2025) tested five treatments, including uninoculated control, Arthrobacter pascens (AP), Bradyrhizobium japonicum (BJ), BJ + AP, and BJ + AP combined with micronutrients (BJ + AP + MN) on soybean biomass, nodulation, growth, quality, yield, and yield components. BJ alone promoted most of the crop traits because the northern soil lacks biological nitrogen fixation rhizobia. It established nodulation, increased SPAD value, shoot biomass (81%), plant height (19.16%), root biomass (40.1%), protein (6.9%), pods per plant, and grain yield (33.2%) over the uninoculated control. Moreover, AP also elevated biomass and yield components significantly without nodule formation. The effects of combined biostimulant treatments in many cases were not significantly different from the single treatment of BJ. All the treatments exhibited stable performance in growing seasons, although with year-to-year climatic variation. The year 2025 gave the highest biomass and yield because of the good precipitation and temperature over that year. The most positive response of soybean grain yield was observed with inoculation of BJ + AP, which increased grain yield by 35.65% over the untreated control. This study highlights the potential of the novel epiphyte Arthrobacter pascens 13LEP5 as a highly efficient, nodule-independent biofertilizer that can match or exceed the performance of traditional inoculants in soybean production. This study suggests identifying rhizobial inoculation as a strong climate-smart strategy for the launch of a productive, low-input, organic soybean system as an expansion poleward cultivation under the edaphic condition of Lithuania.
Y. Jamil, Sulaiman Khan, Raminta Skipitytė et al.· Agriculture· 0 citations
Simple Summary Biofloc technology is an increasingly used strategy for more sustainable shrimp farming. However, new approaches are still needed to improve water quality and animal health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the green microalga Chlorella sp. and a commercial probiotic, applied separately or in combination, in a biofloc system for Pacific white shrimp culture. A single inoculation of Chlorella sp. maintained a stable population for approximately 40 days. The microalga contributed to nutrient bioremediation in water and increased the nutritional value of the biofloc, a natural food source for shrimp. However, shrimp reared in microalgae treatments showed lower growth performance and survival, which may have been associated with prolonged exposure to the elevated nitrate levels associated with microalgae inoculation. In contrast, the probiotic and control treatments showed comparable zootechnical performance, and both outperformed the microalgae treatments. Probiotic supplementation also reduced the abundance of Flavobacteriaceae, a bacterial family proposed as a bioindicator of White Feces Syndrome (WFS). Overall, these findings suggest that microalgae have considerable potential to improve the sustainability of biofloc systems, provided that the inoculation protocol should be optimized, and confirm the probiotic as an effective strategy to enhance shrimp productivity and health.
Tatiana Cascales-Martos, Jéssica Brol, S. Martínez-Llorens et al.· Animals· 0 citations
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