Spraying agro-industrial compost tea on baby spinach crops: Evaluation of yield, plant quality and soil health in field experiments

Compost tea is a liquid fraction extracted from composts, and it is of great interest in sustainable agriculture because it reduces the unsustainable use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. In this study, during two spinach field cycles, we evaluated the potential beneficial e_ect of the f...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ros Muñoz, Margarita, Hurtado Navarro, María, Giménez Martínez, Almudena, Fernández Hernández, Juan Antonio, Egea Gilabert, Catalina, Lozano Pastor, Pedro, Pascual Valero, José Antonio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena(UPCT)
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital UPCT
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.upct.es:10317/9245
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10317/9245
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/3/440
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Trichoderma harzianum
Soil-borne pathogens
Antioxidant capacity
Phenolic acid
Nitrates
Spinach crops
Producción Vegetal
2417.15 Desarrollo Vegetal
Descripción
Sumario:Compost tea is a liquid fraction extracted from composts, and it is of great interest in sustainable agriculture because it reduces the unsustainable use of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers. In this study, during two spinach field cycles, we evaluated the potential beneficial e_ect of the foliar application of a compost tea made from onion and vineyard composts either by itself (CT) or implemented with the beneficial microorganism Trichoderma harzianum T78 (CT + Th) on the “healthy quality” and yield of baby spinach. Results showed that both the CT and CT + Th treatments produced a higher spinach yield than the control, but these treatments did not result in an increase in soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA) or soil nutrient content. Furthermore, CT + Th treatment showed the highest yield, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and flavonoid levels. Nitrate levels were below legal amounts, and they were significantly (p _ 0.05) lower in the CT and CT + Th treatments than in the control. Data suggest that compost tea extracts from onion waste and vineyard compost and/or enriched with T. harzianum can be used in a sustainable agriculture to increase yield and quality of baby spinach.