Effect of two bioestimulants and mycorrhizal fungi on tomato plants sowed at high temperatures

Abstract

High temperatures is one of the main abiotic factors that influence the physiology and yield of crops, hence the present work has been conducted with the aim of evaluating the effect of two biostimulants and a biofertilizer applied to tomato seeds in conditions of high temperatures. The work was carried out in the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences and in the “Jorge Dimitrov” Research Institute under semi-controlled conditions. The seeds were subjected to the following treatments: imbibition for two hours in a solution of 5 mg L^-1 of a mixture of oligogalacturonides, or a solution of 1 mg L^-1 of chitosan. Another treatment with seeds pelleted with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and the control without seed treatment was also used. The variables evaluated were: relative water content, plant height, stem diameter, leaf surface, plant biomass, average number of fruits and average fruit mass. Both the height of the plants and the diameter of the stems did not reflect significant differences between the treatments used, while the other evaluated variables did differ from the control, with favorable responses in a general sense in those plants that were treated with the biostimulants. It can be concluded that both the biostimulants used and the biofertilizer based on mycorrhizal fungi are good alternatives to take into account for tomato planting under conditions of temperatures that exceed the optimum for the crop.