Effect of greenhouse soil bio-disinfection on soil nitrate content and tomato fruit yield and quality

Abstract

Intensive horticultural practices in the greenhouse can cause proliferation of soil phytopathogenic organisms and pollution of groundwater from nitrate leaching. Among the different soil disinfection techniques, bio-disinfection through the addition of organic amendments (OA), with subsequent solarisation (biosolarisation) or without (biofumigation), is an efficient and economically viable alternative for the control of soil pathogens. This greenhouse experiment was conducted to initiate the process of conversion of a conventional tomato culture to organic farming. The effects of OA applied through biofumigation and biosolarisation in the first season on soil nitrate concentration and tomato fruit yield and quality were evaluated with the following treatments: control, no OA; T1, 0.3 kg m–2 of dehydrated pellets of Brassica carinata seed meal; T2, 0.8 kg m–2 of packaged and dehydrated B. oleracea var. italica; T3, T2 + 0.15 kg m–2 of dehydrated poultry manure; T4, T1 + 0.16 L m–2 of microbial cocktail. The experiment was carried out over the autumn crop cycle of two seasons (2011–12, 2012–13). Addition of OA increased soil nitrate concentration, more so with biosolarisation. Total and marketable yield of tomato and number of marketable fruits were higher in the biosolarised plots in the first crop after treatments. No effects were observed in the second crop after treatments. Except for tomato fruit firmness, quality attributes (size, soluble solids, acidity and colour) improved with some OA treatments. The supply of OA through biosolarisation is a soil disinfection technique with potential to minimise the impact of nitrate leaching and to provide improved yield and quality of tomatoes.

Greenhouse Soil Biosolarization with Tomato Plant Debris as Unique Fertilizer for Tomato Crops

“…It should be noted that the fruits from plants treated with fertigation, in the first year, had higher size and weight than fruits of the others treatments, but not in the second year. Similar values to those values reported by other authors: Marín-Guirao et al [11] obtained values for acidity, ºBrix and color similar to this study. However, Mauromicale et al [16] reported that parameters, such as firmness, color and soluble solids content (ºBrix), were increased proportionally to the increase in organic matter in the treatments used, contrasting with the results of this study.…”

“…Supplementation with the pellets resulted in an improvement in yield, but not significantly. These findings are partly consistent with those of López-Aranda et al [46], Pane et al [47] and Marín-Guirao et al [11], who did not report any benefit with Biofence® application. Pane et al [47] suggest that the application of brassica carinata flour, with or without solarization, could have a protective effect on some microbial groups that benefit soil activity and establishment of the crop.…”

“…The previous authors did not specify if they performed inorganic fertilization during the development of the crop. Marín-Guirao et al [11] Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 12 November 2018 doi:10.20944/preprints201811.0287.v1…”

Effect of management of organic wastes on inactivation of Brassica nigra and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae using soil biosolarization

“…as organic amendment showed NO 3 ‐ accumulation. However, this study also showed that SBS has lower NO 3 ‐ contamination potential than other practices, as a consequence of the lower irrigation of the soil during the process …”

Greenhouse Soil Biosolarization with Tomato Plant Debris as a Unique Fertilizer for Tomato Crops

“…In particular, in 2014 Almería produced approximately 1,900,000 tons of non-dehydrated residues from horticultural crops [8,9]. Furthermore, organic matter resources, such as green manure, mulching, animal manure, and crop waste, are frequently added to the soil through biofumigation and biosolarization to prepare the soil for the next crop [10,11].…”