Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit

Plant biostimulants (PBs) have been considered the new wave for ecological intensification and sustainability, but are they sustainable? They increase nutrient use efficiency and reduce the impact of abiotic stress in plants. However, commercially available PBs based on humic substances are obtained...

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Main Authors: Luciano P. Canellas, Natália A. Canellas, Dariellys Martinez-Balmori, Rakiely M. Silva, Raul C. C. Rosa, Fabio L. Olivares
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/681
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author Luciano P. Canellas
Natália A. Canellas
Dariellys Martinez-Balmori
Rakiely M. Silva
Raul C. C. Rosa
Fabio L. Olivares
author_facet Luciano P. Canellas
Natália A. Canellas
Dariellys Martinez-Balmori
Rakiely M. Silva
Raul C. C. Rosa
Fabio L. Olivares
author_sort Luciano P. Canellas
collection DOAJ
description Plant biostimulants (PBs) have been considered the new wave for ecological intensification and sustainability, but are they sustainable? They increase nutrient use efficiency and reduce the impact of abiotic stress in plants. However, commercially available PBs based on humic substances are obtained using non-renewable sources of organic matter. At the same time, the microbial inoculants include a discussion of the properties of microorganisms and formulation design, as well as standards of purity and process control. Farmers depend on biological inputs like others to generate additional income for agribusiness. We produced a composite PB using humic substances isolated from vermicompost with KOH 5% and microbial consortia of plant growth-promoting bacteria (<i>H. seropedicae</i>, <i>G</i>. <i>diazotrophicus</i>, <i>Bacillus</i> spp.) grown in a simple medium with molasses and fishmeal as sources of C and N, respectively, in a homemade reactor at 37 °C for 36 h. The on-farm PB was applied directly in a passion fruit trial, and plant health and yield were monitored. The plants treated with the PB showed decreased visual symptoms of pests and diseases concurrent to higher activities of the enzymes used to monitor the induction of the plant resistance system (1,3-β glucanase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase). Plants treated with the PB yielded more than 50% more passion fruit than the control in soil with natural low fertility, fertilized with vermicompost. It is possible to produce PBs directly on the farm, leveraging locally available resources and simple technologies to sustainably enhance plant health and productivity.
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spelling doaj-art-cf0785b70dac4bf89c7cdd2c0dddbd662025-08-20T03:40:42ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-03-0115368110.3390/agronomy15030681Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion FruitLuciano P. Canellas0Natália A. Canellas1Dariellys Martinez-Balmori2Rakiely M. Silva3Raul C. C. Rosa4Fabio L. Olivares5Núcleo de Desenvolvimento de Insumos Biológicos para a Agricultura (NUDIBA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Ave Alberto Lamego n.2000, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, BrazilNúcleo de Desenvolvimento de Insumos Biológicos para a Agricultura (NUDIBA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Ave Alberto Lamego n.2000, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, BrazilNúcleo de Desenvolvimento de Insumos Biológicos para a Agricultura (NUDIBA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Ave Alberto Lamego n.2000, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, BrazilNúcleo de Desenvolvimento de Insumos Biológicos para a Agricultura (NUDIBA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Ave Alberto Lamego n.2000, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, BrazilEmbrapa Agrobiologia, Seropédica 23891-000, RJ, BrazilNúcleo de Desenvolvimento de Insumos Biológicos para a Agricultura (NUDIBA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Ave Alberto Lamego n.2000, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, BrazilPlant biostimulants (PBs) have been considered the new wave for ecological intensification and sustainability, but are they sustainable? They increase nutrient use efficiency and reduce the impact of abiotic stress in plants. However, commercially available PBs based on humic substances are obtained using non-renewable sources of organic matter. At the same time, the microbial inoculants include a discussion of the properties of microorganisms and formulation design, as well as standards of purity and process control. Farmers depend on biological inputs like others to generate additional income for agribusiness. We produced a composite PB using humic substances isolated from vermicompost with KOH 5% and microbial consortia of plant growth-promoting bacteria (<i>H. seropedicae</i>, <i>G</i>. <i>diazotrophicus</i>, <i>Bacillus</i> spp.) grown in a simple medium with molasses and fishmeal as sources of C and N, respectively, in a homemade reactor at 37 °C for 36 h. The on-farm PB was applied directly in a passion fruit trial, and plant health and yield were monitored. The plants treated with the PB showed decreased visual symptoms of pests and diseases concurrent to higher activities of the enzymes used to monitor the induction of the plant resistance system (1,3-β glucanase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase). Plants treated with the PB yielded more than 50% more passion fruit than the control in soil with natural low fertility, fertilized with vermicompost. It is possible to produce PBs directly on the farm, leveraging locally available resources and simple technologies to sustainably enhance plant health and productivity.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/681humic substancesplant growth-promoting bacteria<i>Bacillus</i><i>H. seropedicae</i><i>G. diazotrophicus</i>Passiflora edulis Sims
spellingShingle Luciano P. Canellas
Natália A. Canellas
Dariellys Martinez-Balmori
Rakiely M. Silva
Raul C. C. Rosa
Fabio L. Olivares
Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
Agronomy
humic substances
plant growth-promoting bacteria
<i>Bacillus</i>
<i>H. seropedicae</i>
<i>G. diazotrophicus</i>
Passiflora edulis Sims
title Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
title_full Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
title_fullStr Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
title_full_unstemmed Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
title_short Farm-Produced Plant Biostimulant: Case Study with Passion Fruit
title_sort farm produced plant biostimulant case study with passion fruit
topic humic substances
plant growth-promoting bacteria
<i>Bacillus</i>
<i>H. seropedicae</i>
<i>G. diazotrophicus</i>
Passiflora edulis Sims
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/681
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AT rakielymsilva farmproducedplantbiostimulantcasestudywithpassionfruit
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