Agriculture needs to supply food for a growing population whilst also minimising the environmental impact, and the adoption of sustainable agriculture systems has been proposed as a solution to achieve this. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of seven fertilisation treatments (FT1-FT6 organic fertilisers, FT7 conventional fertiliser) and two irrigation methods (drenching and non-recirculating subirrigation (NRS)) on plant growth, yield, fruit quality and polyphenol concentrations in grape tomatoes. For plants irrigated by drenching, leaf dry weight (dw), total plant biomass dw, fruit number and total yield were higher in the organic fertilisation treatment FT6 (including fish-derived protein hydrolysate as an N-source), surpassing the conventional treatment (FT7) by 35%, 9%, 21%, and 4% for these parameters, respectively, though the difference was only significant for leaf dw. For plants grown with NRS, the total yield in FT7 was higher than that in any of the organic fertiliser treatments. In the organic treatments FT1, FT3 and FT4 the tomatoes had higher total soluble solids concentrations than the fruit in FT7. With drench irrigation, the concentrations of total hydrolysable polyphenols were highest in FT2, FT5 and FT7, but with NRS, it was highest is FT2. With drenching, the concentration of total condensed polyphenols was highest in FT1, whereas with NRS it was similar in all fertilisation treatments. The results indicated that for the production of grape tomatoes, adding fish-derived protein hydrolysates and using the subirrigation system can help reduce the gap between the yields of organic and conventional systems.

There are numerous studies of the use of plastic mulches in vegetable production, but there is little documentation of their use with dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in single and double cropping. The objective of this study was to grow dry beans over two consecutive growing seasons using the same plastic mulch of different colors and examine the influence of soil temperature on growth and yield. The experiment was conducted in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, in the spring and summer of 2008. The treatments included four colored plastic mulches: white-on-black, black, silver-on-black, aluminum-on-black, and bare soil as a control. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates. The percentage of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reflected from the plastic tended to be highest with the white-on-black mulch and lowest with the black mulch. Mean soil temperature under the plastic mulch decreased with the increasing percentage of reflected PAR. Mean soil temperature exhibited a relationship of 98% and 99% to yield in the first and second growing season, respectively. Photosynthetically active radiation had a relationship of 98% and 86% to yield in the first and second growing season, respectively. The effect of the colored plastic mulch on yield was significant (p < 0.05) in the first growing season but not in the second, where plastic mulch and bare soil treatments had similar yields, indicating that plastic mulches do not always increase yield.

The aim of this study was to determine if plastic mulch films may have positive effects on bell pepper plants grown under shade house conditions. The experimental design was split-plot, where large plots contained four plastic mulch films (black, aluminum, silver, and white) compared to bare soil and small plots contained two bell pepper cultivars. Plant shoot dry weight was higher in plastic mulch treatments than in bare soil. The net photosynthesis rate in the cultivar SWG-46 exceeded in net photosynthesis with respect to the cultivar SWG-42 in one of three sampling dates. Nutrients in leaf showed a similar behavior in plastic mulch treatments than the control but the total content of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and sulfur (S) was increased. The total yield was higher in black plastic mulch than in the other plastic mulch colors and lowest in the control.

The use of plastic mulch is associated with a higher increase in yield of vegetables. However, at the end of the growing season for each crop, plastic mulching can create environmental pollution that can cause negative impacts on the environment that could be solved by the use of degradable plastics. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of oxo-degradable plastic mulches on soil temperature, growth, gas exchange, and cucumber crop yield. The study was conducted in two locations in the northeast of Mexico during the spring and summer of 2013. The plastic mulch colors with additives were blue, green, and red and each color having 8% and 12% of pigment and 22% and 23% of Titanium dioxide (Rutile). The resultant treatments were compared with the black plastic mulch, which is the standard plastic in the world, and bare soil in a randomized complete block design with three replications in two locations. The mean soil temperature at both locations was statistically higher in black plastic mulch, followed by the oxo-degradable plastics mulches and lowest in the control. Gas exchange was not affected by plastic mulches. SPAD units as the index of chlorophyll content in leaves were very little affected by plastic mulch. Both, commercial and total yield were statistically similar in the oxo-degradable plastic mulches and the black plastic mulch, and lowest in the control. Plastics with higher concentrations of pigment registered higher degradation in both locations. Our results suggest that different plastic mulches impact positively on the yield of cucumber crop. The benefit in yield by the different plastic mulches in the conditions of this study was due to their soil warming ability that results in improved soil temperature, leaf area, and plant dry weight.

A suitable combination of organic sources of nutrients can allow an adequate growth, yield of the strawberry crop, and decrease the use of chemical fertilizers to the benefit of the environment and consumers. Likewise, silicon can help plants to withstand adverse environmental, biological, and edaphic conditions, increasing and improving production quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three sources of organic fertilization: one of animal origin (fish); one of vegetable origin (corn), and one of animal and vegetable origin (fish - corn) plus a chemical treatment such as control (Steiner), with three silicon concentrations of 0, 15 and 20 ppm. Growth parameters, physiological parameters, as well as nutraceutical performance and quality were evaluated in strawberry fruits of the Camino Real cultivar, under a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (4 x 3). The results of vegetative growth and physiological parameters of the treatments with organic fertilization showed statistically equal values ​​to the control treatment, likewise for the yield and nutraceutical quality. The addition of silicon to the doses studied did not cause effects on any of the variables studied. The results suggest that it is totally feasible to replace chemical fertilization with organic, obtaining identical results.

Purpose: In recent years, interest in plant nutrition research has arisen with a strong focus on organic forms. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different organic fertilizers on growth, yield, fruit quality and polyphenol content in soilless grown grape tomatoes under greenhouse conditions. Materials and methods: Tomato plants were subjected to three organic nutrient solutions, which consisted of different mixtures of several OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified nitrogen fertilizers of industrially processed residues: Treatment I: solid and soluble liquid fertilizers of animal raw materials, natural potassium sulphate-non-synthetic, and calcium chloride; Treatment II: solid and soluble liquid fertilizers of animal raw materials, by-product of marine raw material (soluble liquid), natural potassium sulphate-non-synthetic, and calcium chloride; and Treatment III: solid fertilizers of animal raw materials, natural potassium sulphate-non-synthetic, and calcium chloride to 100% [0-30 days after transplanting (DAT)], 125% [31-80 DAT], and 150% [>81 DAT]. The Steiner solution (SS) was used as a control (Treatment IV). Results: Yield did not differ between organic and conventional treatments, ranging from 3.04 to 3.35 kg m^-2 while fresh weight in organic treatments was 3.14 compared to 3.2 kg m^-2 in plants fed with the SS. No significant differences in plant height or fruit quality were found. The application of organic fertilizers positively affected the total hydrolysable and condensed polyphenols of tomato fruits compared to the control. Twelve phenolic compounds were identified, highlighting 3-Caffeoylquinic acid, salvianolic acid and 5,6-Dihydroxy-7,8,3’,4’-tetramethoxyflavone (Treatment I) and Medioresinol (Lignan) (Treatment II). Conclusions: The results indicated that organic fertilization through animal-based fertilizer application is a feasible alternative for grape tomato production under greenhouse conditions.