Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is considered one of the most important horticultural crops worldwide due to its nutritional and organoleptic properties. Instead of chemical fertilizers, recent research has shown in several plant species the importance of silicon fertilization. Hence, the present investigation aims to evaluate the effect of three different doses (low, medium, and high dose) of silicon on the growth (stem length and diameter, root length diameter, and stem, leaf and root biomass), productivity (polar and equatorial fruit diameter, number of fruits per bunch and plant, and yield), and nutraceutical quality (total soluble solids, titratable acids, and vitamin C) parameters of tomato. The Si treatment affected the evaluated parameters in a dose dependent way in almost all the parameters evaluated. Despite the tomato is classified as a non-Si accumulator, it has a significant response to Si treatment at a low dose of 0.15 g plant-1, medium dose of 0.25 g plant-1, and high dose of 0.35 g plant-1 after 120 d of transplantation in terms of plant growth, yield, and quality parameters. The effectiveness of Si nutrition is dependent on factors such as element source, plant species, and cultivar, and even, the absorption and bioaccumulation capacity of this element could be different between varieties.

Tomato crops are treated with high concentrations of synthetic fertilizers and insecticides to increase yields, but the careless use of these chemicals harms the environment and human health and affects plant pathogen resistance. The effect of foliar spray of three concentrations of chitosan (500, 1000, and 2000 mg L⁻¹) on plant growth, yield, fruit quality, and physiological performance in two tomato varieties (Floradade and Candela F1) was studied. Physiological traits such as photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and leaf area index of the plants were positively affected by chitosan, an effective compound that biostimulates growth, with increases in biomass of organs with respect to the control treatment. Chitosan also improved tomato quality, such as increases in polyphenols, antioxidant capacity, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C, and total soluble solids in both tomato varieties. Finally, yield increased by 76.4% and 65.4% in Floradade and Candela F1, respectively. The responses of tomato plants to chitosan application were different depending on the variety evaluated, indicating a differential response to the biostimulant. The use of chitosan in agriculture is a tool that has no negative effects on plants and the environment and can increase the productive capacity of tomato plants.

Although favorable effects of Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs or nSe) in tomato have been reported, research has concentrated on stress alleviation and disease management. From the above it is noticeable that the effect of NPs varies greatly depending on the model plant, nanoparticle (concentration, size, shape), and application (foliar or drenching). For this reason, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of biostimulating tomato plants under no stressor conditions (Solanum lycopersicum cv. ‘Pomodoro’ L.) with SeNPs on morpho-physiological and fruit quality parameters. Three doses of Selenium nanoparticles (5, 15, and 30 mg L⁻¹), and a control were applied via a foliar application after transplanting. The results indicate that a 5 mg L⁻¹ SeNP treatment improved the growth and yield of the tomato, with the exception of the root length and leaf weight. Moreover, all doses modified the evaluated physiology, bioactive compounds, and fruit quality parameters. This research helped in understanding the SeNPs’ effect on tomato plants in greenhouses under a no stressor condition.

Organic fertilization has been associated with improvements in soil fertility and vegetable performance. The effect of organic fertilizers on the agronomic and productive performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in greenhouses was evaluated. A completely randomized design with four treatments was used: T0 (control), T1 (compost), T2 (bocashi), and T3 (worm humus), with four replicates (one plant per replicate). The variables were plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), days to flowering, fruit length and diameter (cm), fruit weight (g), yield (kg ha⁻¹), and benefit/cost ratio. Significant differences were detected between treatments. Worm humus (T3) showed greater vigor: at 30 days, 74.9 cm and 5.75 mm; at 45 days, 161.5 cm and 6.73 mm; and at 60 days, 341.5 cm and 6.73 mm. It also had a shorter time to flowering (44.5 days). In terms of fruit characteristics, T3 showed greater length (25.51 cm), diameter (6.09 cm), and average weight (480.75 g), along with the highest profitability (profit/cost 2.03). In conclusion, worm humus consistently improved the growth, precocity, and production indicators of greenhouse cucumbers compared to the control.

Los oligogalacturónidos y los quitosacáridos son miembros de una nueva clase de sustancias bioactivas en plantas que se conocen como oligosacarinas. Estas sustancias que incluyen poli y oligosacáridos de diferente origen, son consideradas una nueva jerarquía de hormonas que funcionan en la planta antes de la acción de las hormonas tradicionales, como las auxinas, citoquininas y giberelinas. Sus características f isicoquímicas y estructurales también influyen signif icativamente en su actividad biológica y en especial en los procesos de enraizamiento tanto en condiciones in vitro como in vivo. En este trabajo se discuten los efectos benéf icos, que causa la aplicación de estas sustancias en el proceso de enraizamiento vegetal y la acción indirecta relacionada con la interacción con microorganismos simbióticos del suelo, tales como rhizobacterias y hongos micorrízicos arbusculares que mejoran el crecimiento y el funcionamiento de las raíces en las plantas.

In the coming decades it will be crucial to meet the demands for food, without promoting environmental degradation, not only to increase agricultural production amid climate change, but also to develop innovative technologies that increase agricultural yields, minimize inputs and avoid increased environmental contamination, which is why numerous organic products are currently being tested in the world that are applied as nutritional agents or stimulants of plant growth. The objective of this work was to evaluate the agrobiological ef fectiveness of chitosan, mycorrhizal fungi, and humic acids in the growth and development in plants of two varieties of tomato under controlled conditions. The experiment was established in a bifactorial design, with two varieties and application of chitosan (3 g L-1), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (20 g of spores mL-1) and humic acids (1:30 v / v), the control treatment was distilled water. The variables evaluated were percentage of total emergence, emergence rate, percentage of germination, stem length, stem diameter, root length and number of leaves, fresh and dry biomass of aerial part, and production indicators: number of fruits per plant, polar diameter, equatorial diameter and yield per plant. The initial development parameters showed signif icant dif ferences to the application of humic acids and chitosan in the Vyta variety, in addition to the emergence percentage of 96% in both varieties, while the fresh and dry biomass of the varieties presented favorable results, as well as the variety Vyta obtained higher yield with the application of humic acids. The use of humic acids showed better results, followed by the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, because the tomato varieties showed better development, obtaining quality fruits and good weight.