Chicory Taproot Production: Effects of Biostimulants under Partial or Full Controlled Environmental Conditions

Abstract

Two trials were conducted on chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) grown under greenhouse and growth chamber conditions with the aim to evaluate the potential of three biostimulants (seaweed extract (SWE), animal-derived protein hydrolysate (APH), and vegetal-derived protein hydrolysate (VPH) on improving quali-quantitative traits of taproot, in short and out-of-season production cycles. In the greenhouse trial, VPH biostimulant promoted the inulin yield on a per-hectare basis with respect to the untreated control and APH. Taproot fresh weights, dry weights, and diameter in VPH-treated plants increased in comparison with APH-treated ones. SWE-treated plants showed intermediate values of the root production parameters and the inulin yield, with no statistical difference with VPH, APH, and control. In the growth room trial, SWE, VPH, and control showed no significant differences in growth, root yield, and quality. The results demonstrated that VPH can be useful for improving root production and inulin yield of chicory under partial controlled conditions such as in a greenhouse, whereas no benefits of biostimulant applications on crop yield and quality traits were recorded in growth chambers under full control of micro-climate conditions.

Yield, Fructans Accumulation, and Nutritional Quality of Young Chicory Plants as Related to Genotype and Nitrogen Fertilization

“…Chicory is a prevalent source of purified fructans on the market; furthermore, its leaf and root tissues contain other important metabolites, such as components of the cell wall, and various phytochemicals, contributing to the nutritional value of these vegetable organs. For this reason, chicory can be considered a relevant functional food that is health-promoting phytochemicals and can improve the human diet by evidence that encourages the daily consumption of prebiotics in addition to fiber, polyphenols, and antioxidants, to improve human and animal health [19,38]. According to EFSA, the recommended daily intake of "chicory-type inulin" for humans is 12 g/day [EFSA Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.…”

“…Chicory can be grown under limited or full environmental control, in a short-cycle growth to produce young plants with limited-size tap roots, containing about 50% of the dry weight as fructans [19]. Due to the rising interest in controlled environment agriculture to grow health-promoting produce in greenhouses, in vertical farming systems, and even in facilities designed as life support during space missions [19], it is important to understand how agronomical tools can influence early-stage chicory production and quality. Young chicory taproots may contain large quantities of fructans, a confirmed prebiotic class of molecules, and can then represent a new food with particularly relevant health attributes and commercial potential.…”

Presentations at the 2022 MELiSSA Conference – Current and Future Ways to Closed Life Support Systems

“…In protected cultivation, the setting of an optimal light intensity is fundamental considering that light requirement may change among species and varieties (Poulet et al, 2014). A proper light modulation is also important for system design and efficiency in facilities dedicated to plant production under fully controlled environmental conditions, like vertical farming (Zabel et al, 2020;Kobayashi et al, 2022;Paglialunga et al, 2022). In the last decades, literature about plant-light interaction in controlled environment increased considerably, also by virtue of space related studies, after the invention of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology (Avercheva et al, 2016;D'Aquino et al, 2022;Paradiso and Proietti, 2022).…”

Defining growth requirements of microgreens in space cultivation via biomass production, morpho-anatomical and nutritional traits analysis

“…In protected cultivation, the setting of an optimal light intensity is fundamental considering that light requirement may change among species and varieties ( Poulet et al., 2014 ). A proper light modulation is also important for system design and efficiency in facilities dedicated to plant production under fully controlled environmental conditions, like vertical farming ( Zabel et al., 2020 ; Kobayashi et al., 2022 ; Paglialunga et al., 2022 ). In the last decades, literature about plant-light interaction in controlled environment increased considerably, also by virtue of space related studies, after the invention of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology ( Avercheva et al., 2016 ; D’Aquino et al., 2022 ; Paradiso and Proietti, 2022 ).…”