Use of marine minerals obtained through an innovative process with added silver for the cultivation and protection of Solanum lycopersicum

Research objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the stimulating potential of (FertilTomix: a product based on minerals and organic molecules from the sea) obtained from an innovative extraction process and its ability to increase plant defence capabilities following the addition of silver to seeded Solanum lycopersicum plants.

Materials and Methods: The experiments, which started in January 2023, were conducted in the CREA-OF greenhouses in Pescia (Pt), Tuscany, Italy (43°54′N 10°41′E) on Solanum lycopersicum cv “Siccagno”. The plants were placed in ø 24 cm pots; 30 plants per thesis, divided into 3 replicas of 10 plants each. The experimentation was divided into two parallel trials, one concerning the growth and biostimulation of tomato plants. The second experiment, instead, concerned the use of sprayed FertilTomix in the protection from pathogenic fungi (Phytophthora infestans, Leivellula taurica). On August 28, 2023, plant height (measured at 70 days after transplanting), plant nodes (measured at 70 days after transplanting), leaf area index, total dry biomass, fruit fresh weight and total fruit number have been evaluated. In addition, plants affected by diseases were counted.

Results and Discussion: The experiment showed that the use of FertilTomix, irrespective of the extraction process, was able to significantly increase total plant growth, berry yield and weight, and reduce the mortality of Solanum lycopersicum plants. As found in the experiment in the treated theses, a significant increase in plant height and number of nodes per plant was noted, as well as a significant increase in total LAI. Differences were also noted between FertilTomix as such and FertilTomix enriched with silver; the former product worked better in the vegetative and root stimulation of the plants, while the product enriched with silver defended the plants better against attacks by Phytipthora infestans and Leivellula taurica. The use of this product is very interesting especially for those places where there is no water for irrigation and where fertilisers are scarce. The use of this product could obviate both problems. There are as yet no cost-effective technologies and processes in the world that can extract useful minerals from seawater for plant fertilisation and recycle the process water that can be used for irrigation.

Conclusions: The test demonstrated a significant effect on plant growth after the application of certain extracts obtained from an innovative process of extracting minerals from seawater. In addition, it emerged that the product could also be used for plant protection when enriched with silver. This product would be very useful especially in countries where water resources and fertilisers are scarce, with the possibility of producing them on site through innovative facilities.