Plant biostimulants are used to promote plant growth by increasing tolerance to abiotic stressors and improving the efficiency of natural resource use. In the present two-year research (2022–2023 and 2023–2024), the effects of biostimulant foliar applications on the morphological parameters, fresh and dry yields, antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, and chemical composition of the essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) were studied. For this purpose, four commercial biostimulants, Biostimol Plus + Peptamin-V Plus®, Acadian MPE®, Megafol®, and BlueN®, were evaluated on thyme cultivated in field conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with five treatments and with three replications. During the second growing season, the plants treated with BlueN®, composed of the bacteria Methylobacterium symbioticum SB23, showed the highest plant weight (152.1 g plant−1), fresh biomass yield (501.9 g m−2), and dry yield (172.2 g m−2). BlueN® was the biostimulant that also obtained th
Effects of Biostimulant Foliar Applications on Morphological Traits, Yield, Antioxidant Capacity, and Essential Oil Composition of Thymus vulgaris L. Under Field Conditions
NUNZIA CICCOMethodology
;
2025
Abstract
Plant biostimulants are used to promote plant growth by increasing tolerance to abiotic stressors and improving the efficiency of natural resource use. In the present two-year research (2022–2023 and 2023–2024), the effects of biostimulant foliar applications on the morphological parameters, fresh and dry yields, antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content, and chemical composition of the essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) were studied. For this purpose, four commercial biostimulants, Biostimol Plus + Peptamin-V Plus®, Acadian MPE®, Megafol®, and BlueN®, were evaluated on thyme cultivated in field conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with five treatments and with three replications. During the second growing season, the plants treated with BlueN®, composed of the bacteria Methylobacterium symbioticum SB23, showed the highest plant weight (152.1 g plant−1), fresh biomass yield (501.9 g m−2), and dry yield (172.2 g m−2). BlueN® was the biostimulant that also obtained thI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
