No abstract

Leaf extracts of cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis DC) are an important source of phenols. Soilless culture represents an important and alternative tool to traditional agriculture, since it allows a precise control of plant nutrition and the maximization of yield and quality of the product. Reducing N supply, while keeping quantity as high as possible is desirable for environmental and health-related reasons, especially that N deficiency can lead to improved concentrations of secondary plant metabolites. Two greenhouse experiments were carried out in order to determine the effect of a decreasing NO3-:Cl- ratio (80:20, 60:40, 40:60, or 20:80) and nitrate deprivation (0, 5, 10, or 15 days before harvest) on biomass production, leaf chlorophyll content and fluorescence, mineral composition, and phytochemicals in leaves of cardoon ‘Bianco Avorio’ grown in a floating system. Total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity increased linearly with Cl- availability, especially when nitrate was replaced by 80% of chloride (20:80 NO3-:Cl- ratio), without having a detrimental effect on yield. Total nitrogen and nitrate concentration in leaves decreased linearly with increasing Cl- in the nutrient solution. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity recorded after 15 days of nitrate deprivation were higher by 43.1, 42.8, and 44.3% and by 70.5, 40.9, and 62.2%, at 59, 97 and 124 days after sowing, respectively compared to the control treatment. The decrease in leaf nitrate content recorded under N-deprivation occurred more rapidly than the reduction in total nitrogen. Thus, up to 15 days of nitrate withdrawal can lower nitrates without sharply reduce total nitrogen or affecting growth and biomass of cultivated cardoon. The use of N-free nutrient solution prior to harvest or the replacement of nitrates with chlorides could be adopted among growers to improve the quality of the product and enhance sustainability of crop production system.

The results showed that application of KCl can be considered an effective way to produce high-quality leaves of artichoke and cardoon during the whole cropping cycle, although resulting in a 30% reduction in plant biomass.

There is a growing interest among consumers and researchers in the globe artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hegi] leaf extract due to its nutraceutical and therapeutic properties. The application of an abiotic stress such as salinity can activate the stress-signaling pathways, thus enhancing the content of valuable phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic changes in artichokes by probing the leaf metabolome of artichoke plants grown in a floating system and exposed to a relatively mild (30 mM) potassium chloride (KCl) salt stress. Potassium chloride treatment decreased the leaf dry biomass of artichoke, macro- and microelements in leaves (e.g., Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, and B) but increased the concentrations of K and Cl. Metabolomics highlighted that the hormonal network of artichokes was strongly imbalanced by KCl. The indole-3-acetic acid conjugates, the brassinosteroids hormone 6-deoxocastasterone, and even more the cytokinin precursor N6-(Delta-2-isopentenyl)-adenosine-5′-triphosphate, strongly increased in leaves of KCl-treated plants. Moreover, KCl saline treatment induced accumulation of GA4, a bioactive form additional to the already known GA3. Another specific response to salinity was changes in the phenolic compounds profile, with flavones and isoflavones being decreased by KCl treatment, whereas flavonoid glycosides increased. The osmotic/oxidative stress that salinity generates also induced some expected changes at the biochemical level (e.g., ascorbate degradation, membrane lipid peroxidation, and accumulation of mannitol phosphate). These latter results help explain the molecular/physiological mechanisms that the plant uses to cope with potassium chloride stress exposure.

Supplemental calcium application has been reported to alleviate the detrimental effect of NaCl-induced salinity on crop growth. Iso-molar solutions of NaCl and NaCl plus CaCl2 were used to study the osmotic and ionic effects of salinity on leaf dry biomass production and nutraceutical quality of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis DC) grown in a floating system. A basic nutrient solution (control; T1) was enriched with 15 mm of NaCl + 10 mm of CaCl2 (T2), 30 mm of NaCl (T3), 30 mm of NaCl + 20 mm of CaCl2 (T4), or 60 mm of NaCl (T5). NaCl at 60 mm induced a 52% reduction of total leaf dry biomass compared with the control (T1); the iso-molar solution enriched with 20 mm of CaCl2 (T4) increased the total leaf dry biomass production in comparison with treatment containing NaCl at 60 mm (T5). Moreover, at moderate salinity (T2 and T3), the partial replacement of NaCl with 10 mm of CaCl2 (T2) in treatment containing 30 mm of NaCl did not help to reduce the adverse effect of NaCl on total leaf dry biomass production. Results of leaf mineral analysis demonstrated that the partial replacement of NaCl with CaCl2 reduced the accumulation of sodium and the nutrient imbalance. Nutrient solutions enriched with CaCl2 did not increase the accumulation of the osmoprotectant proline in leaves. Nutraceutical value of cardoon leaves was generally improved by saline treatments compared with the control. The regression analysis between phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity showed that total phenols and chlorogenic acid were the major determinants of antioxidant activity in cardoon leaf biomass. In conclusion, the partial replacement of NaCl with CaCl2 improved the leaf dry biomass production of cardoon only at the highest salinity levels with a limited effect on nutraceutical quality of leaves.