Articles
A non-microbial biostimulant influenced agronomical parameters of a traditional olive orchard in southern Italy
Article number
1457_43
Pages
341 – 350
Language
English
Abstract
The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is fundamental to modern agriculture, and even in traditional olive orchards, biostimulants can be a solution.
This research aimed to observe the effect of a non-microbial biostimulant on the agronomic behavior of olive trees.
The study was conducted in a 3-ha olive orchard in Trani (Apulia, southern Italy) on 50-year-old cultivar ‘Coratina’ trees.
A liquid biostimulant fertilizer, consisting of a balanced and optimized mixture of peptides and free amino acids, was applied via foliar spraying.
Eight treatment strategies were applied, with variable numbers of applications over the two years, to evaluate the effects on shoot growth, yield, and oil quality.
The strategy with 3 treatments per year produced the longest shoots, yielding results comparable to those of the block with only one treatment during the differentiation stage.
While yield parameters showed no statistically significant differences, the pigmentation index decreased with increasing applications.
All olive oils were chemically confirmed as extra-virgin and exhibited a favorable composition of unsaturated fatty acids.
The polyphenol content is positively influenced by the number of treatments, thereby enabling both a longer shelf life and the use of the EFSA claim for nutraceutical olive oils.
Further research is necessary to understand better olive trees’ responses to biostimulants, particularly in the context of the application of other solutions.
These encouraging results are an incentive to continue research on the application of biostimulants on olive trees.
This research aimed to observe the effect of a non-microbial biostimulant on the agronomic behavior of olive trees.
The study was conducted in a 3-ha olive orchard in Trani (Apulia, southern Italy) on 50-year-old cultivar ‘Coratina’ trees.
A liquid biostimulant fertilizer, consisting of a balanced and optimized mixture of peptides and free amino acids, was applied via foliar spraying.
Eight treatment strategies were applied, with variable numbers of applications over the two years, to evaluate the effects on shoot growth, yield, and oil quality.
The strategy with 3 treatments per year produced the longest shoots, yielding results comparable to those of the block with only one treatment during the differentiation stage.
While yield parameters showed no statistically significant differences, the pigmentation index decreased with increasing applications.
All olive oils were chemically confirmed as extra-virgin and exhibited a favorable composition of unsaturated fatty acids.
The polyphenol content is positively influenced by the number of treatments, thereby enabling both a longer shelf life and the use of the EFSA claim for nutraceutical olive oils.
Further research is necessary to understand better olive trees’ responses to biostimulants, particularly in the context of the application of other solutions.
These encouraging results are an incentive to continue research on the application of biostimulants on olive trees.
Publication
Authors
F. Maldera, N.D. Verzicco, F. Nicolì, S. Camposeo
Keywords
shoot growth, yield, pigmentation index, oil quality, ‘Coratina’
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