IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i11p6816-d830475.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Biostimulants for Resilient Agriculture: A Preliminary Assessment in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Rita Leogrande

    (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment (CREA-AA), Via C. Ulpiani 5, I-70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Daniel El Chami

    (TIMAC AGRO Italia S.p.A., S.P.13, Località Ca’ Nova, I-26010 Ripalta Arpina, Italy)

  • Giulio Fumarola

    (Centre for Research, Experimentation and Training in Agriculture Basile Caramia (CRSFA), I-70010 Locorotondo, Italy)

  • Michele Di Carolo

    (Centre for Research, Experimentation and Training in Agriculture Basile Caramia (CRSFA), I-70010 Locorotondo, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Piegari

    (TIMAC AGRO Italia S.p.A., S.P.13, Località Ca’ Nova, I-26010 Ripalta Arpina, Italy)

  • Mario Elefante

    (TIMAC AGRO Italia S.p.A., S.P.13, Località Ca’ Nova, I-26010 Ripalta Arpina, Italy)

  • Donato Perrelli

    (Centre for Research, Experimentation and Training in Agriculture Basile Caramia (CRSFA), I-70010 Locorotondo, Italy)

  • Crescenza Dongiovanni

    (Centre for Research, Experimentation and Training in Agriculture Basile Caramia (CRSFA), I-70010 Locorotondo, Italy)

Abstract

In agriculture, plant biostimulants have become necessary to meet the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN-SDGs) and advance the European Green Deal. In particular, seaweed-based biostimulants have received a greater acceptance for their several benefits in crop growth and yield. In this study, we evaluated the effects of foliar applications of a vegetable- and brown-algae-based extract ( Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jol. on grapes ( Vitis vinifera L. cv. Montepulciano) and olives ( Olea europaea L. cv. Coratina) and its agronomic performance in two field experiments in the Apulia region, which is known for its modern agricultural sector. The results highlight that the crop responses differ in grape and olive orchards. The biostimulant application determined significant increases in bunch development (+9.5%) and bunch weight (+10%) compared to the untreated control. In the olive orchard, the yield was not significantly influenced by biostimulant application, whereas we observed quality improvement in the olive oil of the treated plants compared to the control. To better understand the mechanisms behind this difference, the research concludes by suggesting that further research pursues in-depth studies and high scientific and technical proficiency to determine and optimise the rates and timing of applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Rita Leogrande & Daniel El Chami & Giulio Fumarola & Michele Di Carolo & Giuseppe Piegari & Mario Elefante & Donato Perrelli & Crescenza Dongiovanni, 2022. "Biostimulants for Resilient Agriculture: A Preliminary Assessment in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6816-:d:830475
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6816/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6816/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leen Almadi & Andrea Paoletti & Nicola Cinosi & Elissa Daher & Adolfo Rosati & Claudio Di Vaio & Franco Famiani, 2020. "A Biostimulant Based on Protein Hydrolysates Promotes the Growth of Young Olive Trees," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Daniel El Chami & André Daccache & Maroun El Moujabber, 2020. "How Can Sustainable Agriculture Increase Climate Resilience? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aurora Cirillo & Lucia De Luca & Giulia Graziani & Marco Cepparulo & Christophe El-Nakhel & Maria Giordano & Youssef Rouphael & Alberto Ritieni & Raffaele Romano & Claudio Di Vaio, 2022. "Biostimulants Application on Olea europaea L. in Mediterranean Conditions Increase the Production and Bioactive Compounds of Drupes and Oil," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-17, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aurora Cirillo & Lucia De Luca & Giulia Graziani & Marco Cepparulo & Christophe El-Nakhel & Maria Giordano & Youssef Rouphael & Alberto Ritieni & Raffaele Romano & Claudio Di Vaio, 2022. "Biostimulants Application on Olea europaea L. in Mediterranean Conditions Increase the Production and Bioactive Compounds of Drupes and Oil," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Teresa Rodríguez-Espinosa & Jose Navarro-Pedreño & Ignacio Gómez Lucas & María Belén Almendro Candel & Ana Pérez Gimeno & Manuel Jordán Vidal & Iliana Papamichael & Antonis A. Zorpas, 2022. "Environmental Risk from Organic Residues," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Celia Burgaz & Vanessa Gorasso & Wouter M. J. Achten & Carolina Batis & Luciana Castronuovo & Adama Diouf & Gershim Asiki & Boyd A. Swinburn & Mishel Unar-Munguía & Brecht Devleesschauwer & Gary Sacks, 2023. "The effectiveness of food system policies to improve nutrition, nutrition-related inequalities and environmental sustainability: a scoping review," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(5), pages 1313-1344, October.
    4. Maria M. Makwela & Rob Slotow & Thinandavha C. Munyai, 2023. "Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera) as Indicators of Sustainability in Agroecosystems: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Muhammad Faraz & Valentina Mereu & Donatella Spano & Antonio Trabucco & Serena Marras & Daniel El Chami, 2023. "A Systematic Review of Analytical and Modelling Tools to Assess Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation on Coffee Agrosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Agnė Žičkienė & Rasa Melnikienė & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Artiom Volkov, 2022. "CAP Direct Payments and Economic Resilience of Agriculture: Impact Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-24, August.
    7. Zakaria Elkhwesky & Islam Elbayoumi Salem & Michal Varmus & Haywantee Ramkissoon, 2022. "Sustainable practices in hospitality pre and amid COVID‐19 pandemic: Looking back for moving forward post‐COVID‐19," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 1426-1448, October.
    8. Yi Cheng, 2023. "Analysis of Development Strategy for Ecological Agriculture Based on a Neural Network in the Environmental Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-17, April.
    9. Mona Mazeh & Leen Almadi & Andrea Paoletti & Nicola Cinosi & Elissa Daher & Michele Tucci & Enrico Maria Lodolini & Adolfo Rosati & Franco Famiani, 2021. "Use of an Organic Fertilizer Also Having a Biostimulant Action to Promote the Growth of Young Olive Trees," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-11, June.
    10. Daniel El Chami, 2020. "Towards Sustainable Organic Farming Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-5, November.
    11. Mohamed Zahidi & Jamila Ayegou & Mohamed Ait Hou, 2022. "Proximities and Logics of Sustainable Development of the Territorial Resource: The Case of the Localised Agro-Food System of Kalâat M’gouna in Morocco," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-19, November.
    12. Siphelele Vincent Wekeza & Melusi Sibanda & Kenneth Nhundu, 2022. "Prospects for Organic Farming in Coping with Climate Change and Enhancing Food Security in Southern Africa: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-14, October.
    13. Lea Piscitelli & Zineb Bennani & Daniel El Chami & Donato Mondelli, 2022. "A Circular Economy Model to Improve Phosphate Rock Fertiliser Using Agro-Food By-Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Juliet Wanjiku Kamau & Christian Schader & Lisa Biber-Freudenberger & Till Stellmacher & David M. Amudavi & Jan Landert & Johan Blockeel & Cory Whitney & Christian Borgemeister, 2022. "A holistic sustainability assessment of organic (certified and non-certified) and non-organic smallholder farms in Kenya," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6984-7021, May.
    15. Claudia A. Ochoa-Noriega & Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz & José A. Aznar-Sánchez & Ernesto Mesa-Vázquez, 2021. "Overview of Research on Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries. The Case of Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-20, July.
    16. Chengjia Tan & Mohammad Talib Kalhoro & Yahya Faqir & Jiahua Ma & Matthew Duah Osei & Ghulam Khaliq, 2022. "Climate-Resilient Microbial Biotechnology: A Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-29, May.
    17. Mark Schoor & Ana Patricia Arenas-Salazar & Irineo Torres-Pacheco & Ramón Gerardo Guevara-González & Enrique Rico-García, 2023. "A Review of Sustainable Pillars and their Fulfillment in Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Aquaponic Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Algimantas Kurlavičius & Jan Žukovskis & Dariusz Gozdowski & Elżbieta Wójcik-Gront, 2024. "Economic, Social, and Environmental Factors Impacting Resilience and Disturbances of Lithuanian Family Farms," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-22, July.
    19. Miguel Angel Avalos-Rangel & Daniel E. Campbell & Delfino Reyes-López & Rolando Rueda-Luna & Ricardo Munguía-Pérez & Manuel Huerta-Lara, 2021. "The Environmental-Economic Performance of a Poblano Family Milpa System: An Emergy Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    20. Michel Frem & Franco Nigro & Serge Medawar & Maroun El Moujabber, 2022. "Biological Approaches Promise Innovative and Sustainable Management of Powdery Mildew in Lebanese Squash," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-11, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6816-:d:830475. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.