1 Attanasio Farm, Via Matteotti 35, San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, NA, Italy.
2 CREA Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Council for Agricultural Research, and Economics, Via dei Fiori 8, 51012 Pescia, PT, Italy.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 18(02), 502-509
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.2.0859
Received on 02 April 2023; revised on 08 May 2023; accepted on 11 May 2023
Research objective: This research aims to evaluate the biostimulant potential of some Mediterranean vegetation extracts for the stimulation and defence of some Plectranthus amboinicus and Plectranthus coleidos plants. This is to increase knowledge on these plant extracts that could be used for the formulation of new plant biostimulants.
Materials and Methods: The experiments, which started in May 2022, were conducted in the greenhouses of CREA-OF in Pescia (Pt), Tuscany, Italy (43°54′N 10°41′E) on Plectranthus amboinicus and Plectranthus coleidos.
The experimental groups were: group control; group with oak macerated; group with myrtus macerated; group with wild fennel macerated; group with lentiscus macerated; group with inula macerated. On January 20, 2023, plant height, leaves number, vegetative weight, roots volume and length, the number of microorganisms in the substrate, plant dead number and pH were determined.
Results and Discussion: The experiment showed that the use of plant extracts as biostimulants can significantly improve vegetative and root growth and reduce plant mortality of Plectranthus amboinicus and Plectranthus coleidos. In general, a significant increase in plant height and number of leaves as well as vegetative and root biomass was observed in plants treated with all plant biostimulants, particularly with the treatments of macerated oak, macerated fennel and macerated inula. The treatments with macerated oak and macerated fennel were the best in all two Plectranthus species. Observations conducted on treatments with phytotherapeutic agents demonstrate their effectiveness as stimulants of the plants' self-defence mechanisms. In addition, some preparations appear to act as repellents and substances that make many pests lose their appetite or stimulus to feed. Their activity seems to be determined by the minerals and certain molecules present in the plants used to prepare the macerates. This is why some of these substances have been placed under observation by scientific research to verify their effects. However, the objective difficulty of obtaining reproducible results limits research and experimentation activities in this field and directs them towards the characterisation of the active ingredients that play a primary role in insecticide, fungicide, bactericide or herbicide action.
Conclusions: Herbal medicines are always used in aqueous form by performing the treatment with an atomiser or, more rarely, by adding the extract to irrigation water. The extract is obtained by steeping the herbs in water or by preparing an infusion or decoction. The test showed that the use of extracts obtained from plants by macerating Mediterranean shrub species can have biostimulant activity against aromatic succulents such as Plectranthus amboinicus and Plectranthus coleidos. Very interesting aspects especially with regard to the study of new formulations obtained from plants and applicable in organic farming.
Plectranthus; Microorganisms; Plant extracts; Biofertilizers; Rhizosphere
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Francesco Attanasio and Domenico Prisa. Plant extracts from mediterranean vegetation in the cultivation and defence of Plectranthus coleidos and Plectranthus amboinicus. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 18(2), 502-509. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.2.0859