Seed treatment with endophytic fungi enhances yield and nutritional quality of seed-propagated artichokes

The new paradigm in modern agriculture is focusing back onto beneficial soil microorganisms, for the role played in reducing the input of chemical fertilizers improving crop performance, resilience to abiotic stressors and enhancing the quality of vegetables. The difficulty in coining a universal definition of quality in reference to vegetable crops stems to an extent from the multiple stakeholders partaking to the horticultural supply chain, each acting essentially as a consumer in relation to the preceding chain member. Recently the quality of fresh vegetables has been defined as ?a dynamic composite of physicochemical properties and evolving consumer perception, which embraces organoleptic, nutritional and bioactive components?. The use of natural microbial plant biostimulants (PBs) to boost crop productivity of an important vegetable crop, such as globe artichoke [Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (L.) Fiori], has been previously demonstrated, whereas limited information is available concerning the implications of microbial inoculants on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The objective of this experiment was to assess the mineral profile, antioxidant activity, total phenolics and target polyphenols of two-seed propagated artichoke cultivars ?Romolo? and ?Istar? in relation to seed treatment with a consortium of endophytic fungi: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma spp. The microbial inoculants plants exhibited higher secondary and total yields of the two cultivars in comparison to uncoated control treatment. The greatest accumulation of 3-Ocaffeoylquinic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid in primary heads occurred in ?Romolo?. The content of 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, apigenin 7-O-glucuronide in primary heads as well 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid in secondary heads increased with seed coating especially in ?Romolo?. Our findings support that seed treatment with endophytic fungi offer valuable biotechnological tools to manipulate phytochemical profile in globe artichoke. ? SourcesSeed treatment with endophytic fungi enhances yield and nutritional quality of seed-propagated artichokes1Cardarelli, M., 2Rouphael, Y., 2De Pascale, S., 3Bonini, P., 4Colla, G.1CREA-ORT, Via Cavalleggeri 25, Pontecagnano, Italy: mteresa.cardarelli@crea.gov.it2Dept. DIA, via delle Universit? 100, Portici, Italy: joerouphael@yahoo.com; depascal@unina.it3NGAlab, La Riera de Gaia, Tarragona, Spain. pb@ngalab.com4Dept. Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia. Via San Camillo De Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy; giucolla@unitus.itArtichoke 2019 X International Symposium, 12-15 March, Orihuela, SpainPicture, Acta Horticulturae,?'Romolo' and 'Istar', first artichoke seed propagated hybrids enrolled into Italian national variety register?