Evaluation of Mycorrhiza and Seaweed Extract Application on Some Morphological and Physiological Traits and Nutrients of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Transplant

Damadi, Ali Akbar; Rasoli, Farzad; Aazami, Mohammad Ali; Hassanpouraghdam, Mohammad Bagher; Vojoudi Mehrabani, Lamia; Ferdowsi Qebchaq, Parina; PanahiTajaragh, Rana

doi:10.22034/iuvs.2023.2006338.1299

Evaluation of Mycorrhiza and Seaweed Extract Application on Some Morphological and Physiological Traits and Nutrients of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Transplant

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ali Akbar Damadi ¹

farzad rasoli ²

Mohammad Ali Aazami ²

Mohammad Bagher Hassanpouraghdam ²

Lamia Vojoudi Mehrabani ³

Parina Ferdowsi Qebchaq ¹

Rana PanahiTajaragh ¹

¹ M.Sc. Student, Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

10.22034/iuvs.2023.2006338.1299

Abstract

Extended Abstract
1. Introduction: The production of high-quality vegetable transplants is crucial for cultivating greenhouse products. Utilizing healthy, vigorous seedlings ensures a high potential for producing top-performing products. Healthy seedlings guarantee successful plant growth, ultimately increasing producers' profits. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in Africa, Asia, and Southern Europe. Currently, biological fertilizers have been proposed as an alternative to some chemical fertilizers to increase soil fertility in the production of products in sustainable agriculture. The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as a plant symbiotic fungus and seaweed (SWE) as a biological growth promoter have been documented in increasing the growth and yield of crops. The production and performance of greenhouse products depend on producing high-quality transplants, and increasing the quality of transplants to reduce production costs is one of the main goals of the transplanting industry. Optimum nutrition is one of the most effective ways to improve the quality of seedlings.
2. Materials and Methods: To study the effect of foliar application of seaweed extract and mycorrhizal fungus on yield, yield components, and morphological characteristics of eggplant transplants, a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with four replications in greenhouse conditions. The first factor was mycorrhiza (Glomus mosseae) in two levels: without mycorrhiza and with the application of mycorrhiza (5 g kg-1 soil), and the second factor was the foliar application of seaweed extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) with concentrations of 0, 1, 2, and 4 g L-1. After 15 days from the seeds' initial planting, a seaweed extract was applied in three stages over 21 days, each occurring once every seven days. Six weeks after planting the seeds, the morphological characteristics of eggplant, including the number of leaves, leaf length and width, seedling height, root and stem weight, stem diameter, greenness index, and physiological traits such as photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, and leaf protein, and some nutritional values were evaluated.
3. Results and Discussion: The results showed that eggplant's morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics were affected by foliar spraying of seaweed extract and mycorrhizal fungus. The application of these treatments improved the morphological characteristics, and growth parameters of eggplant transplants, photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes (carbohydrate and total protein), and antioxidant elements. SWE treatment (4 g L-1) with AMF inoculation caused a 69, 42, 59, and 109% increase in seedling height, stem diameter, leaf length, and width, respectively. The highest amount of chlorophyll b was observed in the treatments with 2 and 4 g L-1 SWE, both with and without AMF application. Conversely, the lowest amount was observed in the control treatment. Additionally, the highest amount of carotenoid was observed at the 4 g L-1 SWE level with the application of AMF, showing a 324% increase compared to the control treatment. Conversely, the lowest amount was also observed in the control treatment. The highest amount of carbohydrates was observed with the foliar application of 4 g L-1 SWE in combination with the application of AMF, resulting in 34.05 mg g-1 fresh weight. The lowest amount of carbohydrates was observed in the control group, with 15.82 mg g-1 fresh weight. The highest amount of total soluble protein, 6.75 mg/g fresh weight, was obtained using 4 g L-1 SWE in combination with AMF. However, there was a significant difference between this treatment and using 4 g L-1 SWE alone or combined with 2 g L-1 with AMF. The lowest amount of total soluble protein, 2.43 mg g-1 fresh weight, was observed in the control treatment. The application of AMF in conjunction with 4 g L-1 SWE increased the iron content by 208% and the iron content by 93% compared to the control treatment. Also, the application of AMF caused a 28% increase in the concentration of copper in the leaves of eggplant transplants.
4. Conclusion: The research findings indicate that the application of seaweed extract, mycorrhizal fungus, or a combination of both can significantly enhance various characteristics of plants. These improvements include increased plant height, leaf length, number of leaves, stem diameter, and leaf width, as well as enhanced stem and root vigor in terms of fresh and dry weights. Additionally, physiological traits such as protein content, chlorophyll levels (both a and b), total carbohydrates, carotenoid levels, and SPAD values were also found to be positively influenced. It is recommended that 4 g/l be used in conjunction with AMF for optimal results.

Highlights

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Keywords

Bio-stimulant

Nutrients

Symbiosis

Yield