Signorini Linda, Modarelli Giuseppe Carlo, Di Pierro Prospero, Langellotti Antonio Luca, Cirillo Chiara, De Pascale Stefania, Masi Paolo
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Piazza Carlo di Borbone 1, 80055 Portici, Italy.
Leibniz Institute of Vegetables and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), 14979 Großbeeren, Germany.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jun 23;14(13):1929. doi: 10.3390/plants14131929.
Lemon basil () is a highly valued aromatic plant renowned for its distinct citrus aroma. This study aimed to evaluate sustainable substrates and cultivation systems for its production. Two complementary and sequential experiments were conducted: an initial experiment designed to compare coconut fiber mixed in varying proportions with perlite to rock wool, evaluating their effectiveness during germination and early growth (experiment 1), and a subsequent experiment aimed at assessing plant performance in a decoupled aquaponic system relative to hydroponics utilizing the best-performing coconut fiber-perlite mixture from the first phase along with rock wool as substrates (experiment 2). The substrate with 70% coconut fiber and 30% perlite (F70:P30) significantly improved seed germination, leaf number, and total leaf area of seedlings. The decoupled aquaponic cultivation system resulted in a 52.5% increase in flavonoid content, accompanied by higher calcium and magnesium uptake in stems and roots compared to hydroponics. These findings clearly underscore the potential of coconut fiber substrates mixed with perlite as sustainable alternatives to rock wool, reducing environmental impact, disposal costs, and health risks. Similarly, aquaponic cultivation emerges as a valuable strategy for sustainable lemon basil () production, offering comparable yields to hydroponics while improving plant nutritional and phytochemical quality through beneficial plant-microbe interactions. These results provide practical evidence supporting the adoption of environmentally friendly substrates and cultivation practices, thus contributing significantly toward sustainable intensive vegetable production systems.
柠檬罗勒（）是一种极具价值的芳香植物，以其独特的柑橘香气而闻名。本研究旨在评估其生产的可持续基质和栽培系统。进行了两个互补且连续的实验：第一个实验旨在比较不同比例混合珍珠岩的椰糠与岩棉，评估它们在种子萌发和早期生长阶段的效果（实验1）；随后的实验旨在评估相对于水培，在分离式鱼菜共生系统中利用第一阶段表现最佳的椰糠 - 珍珠岩混合物以及岩棉作为基质时植株的表现（实验2）。含有70%椰糠和30%珍珠岩的基质（F70:P30）显著提高了种子萌发率、幼苗的叶片数量和总叶面积。与水培相比，分离式鱼菜共生栽培系统使类黄酮含量增加了52.5%，同时茎和根中钙和镁的吸收量更高。这些发现清楚地表明，椰糠与珍珠岩混合的基质作为岩棉的可持续替代品具有潜力，可减少环境影响、处置成本和健康风险。同样，鱼菜共生栽培成为柠檬罗勒（）可持续生产的一种有价值策略，与水培产量相当，同时通过有益的植物 - 微生物相互作用提高植株营养和植物化学品质。这些结果提供了实践证据，支持采用环境友好型基质和栽培方法，从而为可持续集约蔬菜生产系统做出重大贡献。
