The Influence of Biostimulants on Tomato Plants Cultivated under Hydroponic Systems

Two biostimulants, RutfarmMaxifol (Ascophyllum nodosum extract 17.5%, amino acids, macro- and microelements, Agromaster, Russia) and Radifarm (polysaccharides, glycosides, amino acids, and micro-elements; Valagro, Italy), were applied at different concentrations on tomato plants of the hybrid cultivar 'Merlice', grown under a hydroponic system. Biostimulants were applied in the form of seed soaking and twice as foliar sprayings at flowering and at the initial fruit development stages. Biostimulants were applied as water solutions at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mg·L-1. Plant growth, productivity, and fruit quality parameters were determined at three points: 35, 70, and 105 days after seeding. All biostimulant treatments resulted in higher values of growth parameters and yield productivity in relation to the control. The application of biostimulants improved the parameters of the fruits' quality by increasing the total soluble solids and antioxidants, ascorbic acid, and carotenoid contents but it did not affect tomato fruit acidity; therefore, tomato fruits from the treated plants were tastier than those from control. © 2021 Mostafa M. Abdelkader et al., published by Sciendo.