One plant-based biostimulant stimulates good performances of tomato plants grown in open field

Most agricultural practices have evolved towards biological and sustainable systems. The purpose of modern agriculture is to reduce inputs without reducing yield and quality. This objective can be achieved through breeding programs and the identification of organic molecules capable of activating plant metabolism. Biostimulants contain a wide range of mostly still unknown bioactive compounds. These products are generally able to improve the plant's nutrient utilization efficiency and increase tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The aim of this study was to determine biometric measurements and metabolic profiling of two tomato genotypes grown in open field and treated or not with a plant-derived biostimulant named CycoFlow (Agriges). The application of the biostimulant stimulated growth (plants up to 55.06% higher) and yield per plant (up to 111.66%). In plants treated with the biostimulant, antioxidants and pigments contents in fruit were higher compared to non-treated plants. In particular, the content of β-carotene increased after treatments with CycoFlow. The present study proves that the application of plant-derived biostimulant can increase tomato performance in the field.