Organic Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Production Has an Advantage over Conventional in Quantity as Well as in Quality

Abstract

Organic production is one of the fastest growing food sectors globally. However, average yield in organic vegetable production is up to 33% lower than in conventional production. This difference could be due to higher fertilization rates in conventional, compared to organic, farming. We aimed to compare yield and quality characteristics of carrots produced under equal nitrogen fertilization rates over four years in organic and conventional conditions. We found a 14.5% higher marketable, and 10.0% lower discarded, yield in the organic compared to the average conventional treatments. In addition, carrots managed organically had 14.1% lower nitrate and 10.0% higher vitamin C content than carrots managed conventionally. There were no convincing effects of cultivation system on the nitrogen, total sugar, or dry matter content of carrots. Organically managed carrots were free of pesticide residues, while several residues were found in carrots managed conventionally. Our study reveals that organic management of carrots may exceed that of conventional methods in yield and several quality characteristics, while being free of pesticide residues. Organic fertilizer gave an advantage over mineral fertilizer, when equal rates of nitrogen were used in both production systems.

Plant Microbial Biostimulants as a Promising Tool to Enhance the Productivity and Quality of Carrot Root Crops

“…However, we find absolutely no data on the effects of microbial biostimulants on carrot growth and yield quality. Several publications indicate that the use of nonmicrobial biostimulants of plant origin for carrot growth increases biomass and modifies the chemical composition of the roots [ 2 , 24 , 50 ]. For example, seaweed extracts are considered an important category of nonmicrobial plant biostimulants due to their use on crops under both conventional and organic farming systems.…”

“…According to the literature data carrots contain relatively low amounts of ascorbic acid, but due to its high bioactivity, it is considered to be a significant indicator of the nutritional value of its roots. Considering the high level of raw carrot consumption, carrots can provide an important source of ascorbic acid in the consumers’ diet [ 2 , 62 ]. Of course, its amount in roots depends on the cultivar, although the effect of farming decisions cannot be excluded.…”

“…According to [ 23 ], the highest levels of vitamin C content in tomato fruits were obtained after the inoculation of two bacterial strains B. amyloliquefaciens (FZB2 and FZB42) in different treatments. We also found data that the use of biofertilizers in the cultivation of carrots led to an increase in the produced biomass, and modified the chemical composition of roots [ 2 , 24 , 25 ]. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effects of probiotics on carrot productivity and yield quality.…”

“…The abundant use of unbalanced chemical fertilizers leads to food safety and quality decline problems [ 1 , 2 ]. In recent years, researchers focused on applying plant-beneficial microorganisms (probiotics) to partially replace chemical fertilizer use, are increasing due to the requirement of sustainable agriculture development and the European Green Deal initiative.…”

Resposta Da Cenoura Ao Uso De Diferentes Fertilizantes De Solo / Response of Carrotto the Use of Different Soil Fertilizers

“…Seu valor nutritivo é caracterizado pela presença de retinol (vitamina A), alfacaroteno e betacaroteno (BENDER et al, 2020), contendo também fibras, antioxidantes e paladar agradável. A coloração alaranja é devido presença de betacaroteno, que também se designa precursor da vitamina A (MELO et al, 2021).…”