Summary: Plant biostimulants, including plant protein hydrolysates (PHs) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM), can significantly increase crop yield and quality while reducing the ecological impact of plant growing cycles. However, there is limited research on the mutual application of different types of biostimulants. A study examining the effects of “Trainer” PH application and AM inoculation on “Birgah” F1 eggplant cultivated for two years (2020 and 2021) found that the combined application of PH and AM significantly enhanced total and marketable yields, average marketable fruit weight, and number of marketable fruits. Biostimulants also increased soluble solids content, chlorogenic acid, total anthocyanins, K, and Mg in fruits. The mutual application of PH and AM improved fruit quality by reducing glycoalkaloid concentration and fruit browning potential. Both biostimulants enhanced nitrogen use efficiency and uptake efficiency by 26.7% and 18.75%, respectively. However, productive and fruit-quality features were significantly influenced by the year due to differences in maximum temperature between cultivation cycles.
Publication: Horticulturae
