Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions
Salinity poses a significant challenge in modern agriculture, often inhibiting growth and yield, especially in sensitive crops like onions (<i>Allium cepa</i> L.). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a freshwater-algae-based biostimulant on two onion cultivars, Franciscana IPA-10 a...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Jean Carlos Nogueira Jefferson dos Santos Gomes Calaça Carla Veronica Barbosa de Souza Gomes Luiz Emanuel Callou Menezes José Raliuson Inácio Silva Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa João Henrique Barbosa da Silva Ramon Freire da Silva Thiago Jardelino Dias Genival Barros Júnior |
| author_facet | Jean Carlos Nogueira Jefferson dos Santos Gomes Calaça Carla Veronica Barbosa de Souza Gomes Luiz Emanuel Callou Menezes José Raliuson Inácio Silva Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa João Henrique Barbosa da Silva Ramon Freire da Silva Thiago Jardelino Dias Genival Barros Júnior |
| author_sort | Jean Carlos Nogueira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Salinity poses a significant challenge in modern agriculture, often inhibiting growth and yield, especially in sensitive crops like onions (<i>Allium cepa</i> L.). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a freshwater-algae-based biostimulant on two onion cultivars, Franciscana IPA-10 and Vale Ouro IPA-11, to mitigate saline irrigation’s adverse effects. Five biostimulant concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup>, applied to the soil) were tested, along with two foliar treatments at 2 mL L<sup>−1</sup> as controls. Our findings showed that applying 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup> to the soil boosted growth rates to 1.0 cm per day (1), increased the potassium-to-sodium ratio in bulbs, and improved both average bulb weight by 25.11% and overall productivity by 24.28%, relative to untreated conditions. These results suggest that the biostimulant at 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup> is an effective method to enhance resilience to saline stress and increase productivity in the IPA-10 and IPA-11 cultivars. However, while the biostimulant improved plant performance, it did not counteract the accumulation of salts in the soil. Therefore, additional management practices such as leaching and drainage are recommended to ensure sustainable onion production under saline water irrigation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-afc9141876ad45b49fdfd74e2041ffbc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-afc9141876ad45b49fdfd74e2041ffbc2025-08-20T03:47:54ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-05-011410155910.3390/plants14101559Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on OnionsJean Carlos Nogueira0Jefferson dos Santos Gomes Calaça1Carla Veronica Barbosa de Souza Gomes2Luiz Emanuel Callou Menezes3José Raliuson Inácio Silva4Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim5Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa6João Henrique Barbosa da Silva7Ramon Freire da Silva8Thiago Jardelino Dias9Genival Barros Júnior10Postgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilDepartment of Biodiversity, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Rio Claro 13506-900, SP, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraiba, Highway PB-079, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraiba, Highway PB-079, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Agronomy, Federal University of Paraiba, Highway PB-079, Areia 58397-000, PB, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Plant Production, Serra Talhada Academic Unit, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, s/n, Serra Talhada 56909-535, PE, BrazilSalinity poses a significant challenge in modern agriculture, often inhibiting growth and yield, especially in sensitive crops like onions (<i>Allium cepa</i> L.). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a freshwater-algae-based biostimulant on two onion cultivars, Franciscana IPA-10 and Vale Ouro IPA-11, to mitigate saline irrigation’s adverse effects. Five biostimulant concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup>, applied to the soil) were tested, along with two foliar treatments at 2 mL L<sup>−1</sup> as controls. Our findings showed that applying 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup> to the soil boosted growth rates to 1.0 cm per day (1), increased the potassium-to-sodium ratio in bulbs, and improved both average bulb weight by 25.11% and overall productivity by 24.28%, relative to untreated conditions. These results suggest that the biostimulant at 4 mL L<sup>−1</sup> is an effective method to enhance resilience to saline stress and increase productivity in the IPA-10 and IPA-11 cultivars. However, while the biostimulant improved plant performance, it did not counteract the accumulation of salts in the soil. Therefore, additional management practices such as leaching and drainage are recommended to ensure sustainable onion production under saline water irrigation.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1559IPA-10IPA-11algae extract<i>Allium cepa</i> L.salinity |
| spellingShingle | Jean Carlos Nogueira Jefferson dos Santos Gomes Calaça Carla Veronica Barbosa de Souza Gomes Luiz Emanuel Callou Menezes José Raliuson Inácio Silva Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim Luiz Guilherme Medeiros Pessoa João Henrique Barbosa da Silva Ramon Freire da Silva Thiago Jardelino Dias Genival Barros Júnior Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions Plants IPA-10 IPA-11 algae extract <i>Allium cepa</i> L. salinity |
| title | Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions |
| title_full | Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions |
| title_fullStr | Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions |
| title_short | Freshwater Algae Biostimulant in Mitigating Impacts of Saline Irrigation on Onions |
| title_sort | freshwater algae biostimulant in mitigating impacts of saline irrigation on onions |
| topic | IPA-10 IPA-11 algae extract <i>Allium cepa</i> L. salinity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1559 |
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