Assessment of Fermented Kiwifruit on Morpho-Physiological and Productive Performances of Fragaria spp Plants, Grown Under Hydroponic Conditions

Abstract

Climate change poses a significant threat to global agriculture by altering weather patterns, increasing the frequency of extreme events, and reducing the availability of arable land. Hydroponic systems offer a sustainable solution allowing efficient resource use, including water and nutrients, and enabling cultivation in areas with poor soil quality or limited space. The incorporation of biostimulants derived from plant byproducts further enhances sustainability by improving plant growth and resilience, reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and the environmental footprint of agriculture, promoting, at the same time, healtier crop production. This study investigates the effect of biostimulants, derived from fermented kiwifruit byproducts, on the morpho-physiological and productive performances of Fragaria vesca (L.), cv. Malga, and of Fragaria x ananassa (Duch.), cv. Annabelle, grown in a column hydroponic system. Plants of both species, when treated with the biostimulant, demonstrated significant improvements for all the parameters evaluated, with healthier plants and improved quality features in fruits. These findings suggest that fermented kiwi byproduct could be an effective, sustainable integration to synthetic fertilizers, promoting better growth and fruit quality in strawberry cultivation under hydroponic systems.