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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Nutrition
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1455156
This article is part of the Research Topic Green Growth: Innovations in Plant Science for Biostimulant Applications View all articles

Seaweed and Yeast Extracts as Sustainable Phytostimulant to Boost Secondary Metabolism of Apricot Fruits

Provisionally accepted
Noemi Gatti Noemi Gatti 1Moez Maghrebi Moez Maghrebi 1Graziella Serio Graziella Serio 2Carla Gentile Carla Gentile 2Victor Vladut Bunea Victor Vladut Bunea 1Ivano Vigliante Ivano Vigliante 3Camille Boitte Camille Boitte 4Christian Garabello Christian Garabello 3Valeria Contartese Valeria Contartese 3Giuseppe Mannino Giuseppe Mannino 1*Cinzia Margherita Bertea Cinzia Margherita Bertea 1
  • 1 University of Turin, Turin, Italy
  • 2 University of Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
  • 3 Green Has Italia S.p.A., Canale (CN), Italy
  • 4 École de Biologie Industrielle, Cergy, Île-de-France, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In our study, we investigated the effects of Expando, a commercial biostimulant derived from seaweed and yeast extracts, on the secondary metabolism of Lady cot and Orange prima apricot cultivars.Notably, treatments with or 5.0 L/ha of Expando improved fruit uniformity and harvests synchronization, providing agronomic benefits. Expando positively influenced the biosynthesis of essential bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins in both apricot pulp and peel, as validated by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. These metabolic enhancements translated into significantly increased total antioxidant activity, particularly evident in the peel samples. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed distinct effects of the 5.0 and 4.0 L/ha treatments, distinguishing them from lower doses and the control group. Our findings emphasize the potential of Expando to enhance the phytochemical profile of apricot fruits, positioning biostimulants as pivotal tools for improving fruit quality and sustainability in agriculture. Expando offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to enhancing crop yield and nutritional value, representing a significant step towards more resilient and environmentally conscious farming practices. Further research is needed to explore its broader implications and optimize application strategies for commercial orchards.

    Keywords: biostimulant, Polyphenols, secondary metabolites, Radical scavenging activity, HPLC-DAD-MS/MS, Prunus armeniaca

    Received: 26 Jun 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gatti, Maghrebi, Serio, Gentile, Bunea, Vigliante, Boitte, Garabello, Contartese, Mannino and Bertea. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Giuseppe Mannino, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.