Physiological and nutritional responses to ozone application in tomato seedling plants

Abstract

Research on environmentally friendly techniques for the agroindustry is growing constantly. In this sense, the supply of ozone (O3) has been taken into consideration, especially for disinfection because of its high oxidizing power. However, there is not enough information about the application of dissolved O3 via fertigation in crops. For that reason, in this study, two trials were carried out simultaneously to determine the consequences of O3 application on plant growth and quality of tomato plants. The first trial aimed to assess the effects on tomato fertigated with the nutrient solution and the application of O3. The second trial was performed to establish the ideal O3 supply rate for tomato plants. In both experiments, we measured the biometric, physiological, and nutritional parameters of the tomato plant. The results obtained showed that the application of O3 treatment resulted in the highest overall dry weight gain, whereas O3 application decreased leaf proline and total soluble sugars concentrations. There was no clear effect on chlorophyll and total soluble sugars in tomato plants under O3 application. Regarding nutritional parameters, the application of O3 led to a higher content of P and K in tomato plants. These findings indicate that the use of dissolved O3 via fertigation may present several advantages for tomato plants’ growth and quality.