Biostimulant Application Alleviates the Negative Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Improves Growth Performance, Essential Oil Yield and Water-Use Efficiency of Mint Crop

Abstract

The scarcity of water is limiting crop production and is one of the most important stressors that severely affects crop yield, and it may also decrease the quality of the final products. Most of the medicinal and aromatic plants are considered resilient to water stress and constitute a sustainable choice for crop production in arid and semiarid conditions. In the present study, we examined the effect of scheduled deficit irrigation (e.g., I1: 40% of field capacity); I2: 70% of field capacity; and I3: 100% of field capacity) combined with biostimulant application (four different products that consisted of nitrogenous compounds and carboxylic acids (M1); nitrogenous compounds and seaweed extracts (M2); humic and fulvic acids and seaweed extracts (M3); and CaO, SiO2, calcium mobilization and translocation factor and microminerals (M4)) on crop performance and essential oil production of mint plants (Mentha arvensis L.). Our aim was to define an irrigation regime that increases water-use efficiency and the biostimulant products that alleviate water stress effects. Our results indicate that moderate deficit irrigation (I2 treatment) and biostimulants that contained seaweed extracts and nitrogenous compounds and humic and fulvic acids (M2 and M3 treatments, respectively) significantly improved yield parameters in terms of fresh and dry herb yield and essential oil production. Moreover, the same biostimulant treatments significantly increased water-use efficiency of mint crops based on the various yield parameters tested in this study. In conclusion, our results indicate that selection of proper biostimulatory products may allow to apply deficit irrigation regimes in mint cultivation without compromising the crop performance in terms of both biomass production and essential oil yield. Therefore, the combination of these agronomic tools could facilitate water saving strategies in arid and semiarid regions and contribute to the sustainable management of water resources.

Supplementing Organo-Bio-Stimulants Into Growing Media Improves Growth, Biochemical Response, Flower Productivity and Quality of Lily Bulbs

“…The enhancement in the flowering and chemical compositions were found in lily plants received Humicil compared to untreated plants as may be related to the enhancements in the vegetative growth, which in turn improved nutrients uptake and photosynthesis by the plants, then induced the flowering and chemical components (Nasiri et al, 2021;Ampong et al, 2022). In this respect, results of Chaski et al (2023) proved that bio stimulants that contained seaweed extracts and humic acids improved growth, yield and chemical components of mint crop. The results of Rahbar et al (2023) indicated that foliar spraying with humic acid contributed to increase the carbohydrate rate of the olive leaves.…”

Foliar application of various biostimulants produces contrasting response on yield, essential oil and chemical properties of organically grown sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

“…In biostimulated plants a decrease of these parameters was observed compared to control plants. It is commonly known that stressful conditions affect MAPs capacity to create secondary metabolites ( Figueiredo et al., 2008 ; Tawfeeq et al., 2016 ; Kulak et al., 2020 ; Chaski et al., 2023 ; Farruggia et al., 2023 ). Presumably, the foliar biostimulant treatments and the rains that fell during the last stage of the cycle, before the sample collection, helped the sage plants evade stress situations and consequently lower the production of some secondary metabolites, like phenols and rosmarinic acid.…”