Soilless cultivation systems are sustainable innovations in modern agriculture, promoting high efficiency per unit area, supporting food sustainability, and addressing the growing demand for high-quality produce with minimal environmental impact. This study evaluates the effects of fulvic acid, amino acid, and vermicompost biostimulants on the growth, yield, and nutrient profile of soilless-grown iceberg lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata) in floating culture under controlled glasshouse conditions. Two experiments were conducted to determine the most effective concentrations and combinations of biostimulants. In the first experiment, varying doses of fulvic acid (40 and 80 ppm), amino acid (75 and 100 ppm), and vermicompost (1 and 2 mL L⁻¹) were tested alongside a control. Optimal doses were identified based on their positive effects on lettuce growth and yield. The second experiment examined combinations of fulvic acid, amino acid, and vermicompost extract compared to a control. Biostimulants improved lettuce growth, nutrient uptake, and antioxidants. Vermicompost boosted root biomass and leaf area, while fulvic acid and amino acid reduced nitrates and increased dry matter. Fulvic acid and vermicompost resulted in the highest yield (17.15 kg/m², 18.2% increase), and the combined treatment maximized antioxidants, increasing vitamin C by 17.16%, total phenols by 52.54%, and flavonoids by 52.38%. These findings highlight the potential of biostimulants as eco-friendly solutions for optimizing lettuce production in soilless systems.

Intensive use of mineral fertilizers in soilless growing systems can have adverse effects on the environment and human health and could be economically expensive. Aim of this study was whether it can be reduced mineral nutrients in soilless grown melon by using mycorrhizae inoculation. The experiment has been carried out in the early spring growing period in a greenhouse in the Mediterranean climate. The eight treatments have been applied: (1) 100% Full nutrition (control), (2) 100% Full nutrition+mycorrhiza, (3) 80% nutrition, (4) 80% nutrition+mycorrhiza (5) 60% nutrition (6) 60% nutrition+mycorrhiza (7) 40% nutrition, (8) 40% nutrition+mycorrhiza. Effects of mycorrhiza on melon plant growth, yield, fruit quality, and leaf nutrient concentrations were investigated. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization is accompanied by plant growth increases in reduced nutrient levels. The mycorrhiza inoculation had a significant enhancing effect on total yield in soilless grown melon plants. The highest increasing effect on melon yield was observed in the “80% nutrient+mycorrhiza”, and AM- inoculated plants produced 49.5% higher melon yield (12.4 kg m-2) than that of control plants without mycorrhizae (8.3 k gm-2). AM-inoculation was also able to establish an improvement in Brix and EC of melon fruit. In the nutrient contents of leaves, there were slight increases in AM-inoculated plants, except P. The P content was significantly increased in AM-inoculated 80% nutrient plants as comparison to that of its control. ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

Drought is a primary abiotic stressor that markedly impairs pepper growth and quality. This study aimed to investigate the effects of foliar applications of phytohormones, including salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and root application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), on severe and moderate drought stress of 38-day-old ‘Anemon F1’ pepper plants. The results showed that drought stress led to a considerable decrease in plant growth parameters, nutrient uptake, leaf water content, and chlorophyll content, and it increased leaf temperature, phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Nevertheless, the combined application of AMF with SA and JA demonstrated substantial synergistic effects, resulting in a notable improvement in the ability to alleviate the detrimental impacts of drought stress. Furthermore, the combined application of AMF and phytohormones exhibited a stronger effect on drought stress compared with the individual application of AMF or phytohormones alone. The application of AMF+SA and AMF+JA not only improves the availability of essential nutrients but also leads to an increase in fresh shoot weight, relative water content, leaf area, and chlorophyll and antioxidant capacity. Consequently, the combined application of SA and JA with mycorrhiza emerged as a promising treatment for enhancing pepper growth under drought-stress conditions. The positive results observed in pepper cultivation through the combined use of phytohormones and mycorrhizae in regions with limited water availability emphasize the importance of investigating the effectiveness of similar approaches in other agricultural crops.

Pollen quality, pollen production and yield of different high temperature tolerant tomato genotypes were evaluated under Adana, Turkey conditions in two different periods. The control treatment (normal sown, where day/night temperatures during the vegetative and generative stage are below 32/20 °C) of the first period started on February 20, 2015. The seedlings in the second period were planted on May 15, 2015. The performances of twenty-four tomato genotypes (resistant and sensitive commercial genotypes) were compared to determine high temperature resistant and sensitive tomato genotypes. Significant relationship was obtained between the yield and the number of pollens. The results of the experiment revealed that ‘Tom173’, ‘Tom119’ and ‘F15656’ genotypes were more resistant, while ‘Tom108’ and ‘Tom10’ genotypes were more sensitive compared to the other tomato genotypes tested in the experiment.

Kuraklık stresi, abiyotik stres faktörleri arasında bitkileri en fazla etkileyen stres faktörlerden biridir. Denemede kuraklık stresi altındaki farklı domates (Kamenta F1 sanayi domates çeşidi ve yerli domates genotipi Fereng) bitkilerine K2SO4, KNO3 ve KCI gübrelerinin yapraktan uygulanmasının bitkilerde yapraklardaki makro (potasyum, kalsiyum ve magnezyum) ve mikro (demir, bakır, çinko ve mangan) mineral besin element ve antioksidan (toplam şeker, fenolik ve flavonoid) içeriklerine etkisi araştırılmıştır. Deneme Nisan-Ağustos 2020 yetiştirme mevsiminde Şırnak’ın İdil ilçesi Çığır köyünde açık tarla koşullarında üretici arazisinde yapılmıştır. Araştırmada 3 farklı %100 (kontrol), %66 ve %33 sulama seviyesi uygulanmıştır. Gübre olarak da yapraktan %1 oranında K2SO4, KNO3 ve KCI verilmiştir. Deneme sonucunda kuraklık stresinin her iki domates çeşidinde de yapraktaki K, Ca, Mg, Fe ve Cu içeriklerinde azaltmaya neden olduğu ancak uygulanan potasyumlu gübrelerin incelenen makro ve mikro besin element içeriklerin iyileştirme yaptığı görülmüştür. %100 sulama uygulamasına göre %33 sulama koşullarındaki bitkilerde toplam şeker içeriğinde, toplam fenolik ve flavonoid madde içerik miktarında en iyi sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. %33 ve %66 sulama altındaki bitkilerde Mn ve Zn içeriklerinde kontrole kıyasla artmıştır. Sonuç olarak KNO3 uygulamasının K2SO4 ve KCI uygulamalarına göre yapraklardaki makro ve mikro besin mineral element içeriklerinde daha etkili olduğu belirlenmiştir.