Open Access

ARTICLE

Improving Okra Performance: Biostimulants and their Influence on Yield, Quality, Physiology, and Nutrient Composition

by Qurat-Ul-Ain Raza^1,2, Abdur Rehim^1,*, Muhammad Amjad Bashir^1,3,*, Mingzheng Duan⁴, Yucong Geng³, Abdulwahed Fahad Alrefaei⁵

1 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan
2 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Emerson University, Multan, 60000, Pakistan
3 Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences for Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Land Utilization, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, 611130, China
4 College of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Zhaotong University, Zhaotong, 657000, China
5 Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

* Corresponding Authors: Abdur Rehim. Email: ; Muhammad Amjad Bashir. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(12), 3531-3548. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.057356

Received 15 August 2024; Accepted 27 November 2024; Issue published 31 December 2024

Abstract

Chemical fertilizers have contributed to improving crop production and coping with food safety challenges, but their excessive application in agriculture has resulted in soil and environmental problems. The present study was performed to assess the potential of biostimulants as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. A pot experiment was conducted to examine the response of okra against different biostimulants, including glycine (G.L.), lysine (L.Y.), aspartic acid (A.A.), vitamin B complex (V.B.), and chemical fertilizers (control; C.K.). The results revealed that G.L. and V.B. significantly improved chlorophyll a (12.51%) and chlorophyll b (7.14%) contents in okra leaves compared to C.K. V.B. (44.54%) and A.A. (43.15%) significantly improved the plant’s fresh weight. Plant dry weight was significantly increased with V.B. (66.80%) followed by A.A. (32.05%) and G.L. (13.24%). Total phenolic compounds were significantly improved in okra pods with V.B. (32.56%), followed by A.A. (14.99%). In addition, G.L. (126.74%) significantly improved the protein content, followed by L.Y. (106.55%), V.B. (82.26%), and A.A. (69.28%). Moreover, L.Y. (54.48%) and G.L. (37.46%) also increased the ascorbic acid content in pods. The highest N concentration in okra shoots was observed with V.B. (87.42%), followed by G.L. (68.55%) and L.Y. (59.75%). In addition, A.A. (67.27%) and V.B. (54.55%) improved the N concentration in okra pods compared to C.K. L.Y. (48.30%) significantly improved the total P concentration in the shoot and G.L. improved the P concentration in the pod (12.64%). Although C.K. produced the maximum okra pod fresh weight, biostimulants (V.B., G.L., A.A.) also performed well with minimal loss in yield. The study concludes that biostimulants application can significantly affect the plant’s physiological parameters, quality of vegetables, and production.

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