A study of the RETOS project of the State Research Agency, in which researchers from the School of Agronomists of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT), the Miguel Hernandez University, Elche, and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CEBAS-CSIC), has concluded that the use of agro-industrial compost in the production of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach, increases the antioxidant and vitamin levels of these vegetables, boosting their healthy properties.
The research also highlights that this type of compost reduces the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides while improving the quality of production and helping mitigate global warming.
It also demonstrates how compost acts as a bio-pesticide against different pathogens that affect these crop varieties in intensive sustainable agriculture. "It contributes to the resistance of lettuce against the disease that is popularly known as plantation maras. In spinach, it improves its resistance against mildew," stated Professor Juan Fernandez, the researcher in charge of the Mediterranean Horticultural Group.
Coffee and lavender additives
The researchers also use additives from coffee or lavender that induce the formation of compounds with health effects, including phenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C, stated Professor Catalina Egea, the researcher in charge of the Plant Genetics and Biology group and deputy director of the Plant Biotechnology Institute of the UPCT.
The researchers have carried out trials on the Tomás Ferro farm of the UPCT and on commercial crops in different municipalities of Murcia and Alicante, including Alhama, Librilla, and Orihuela since 2018, which have allowed them to analyze if the use of compost can improve the shelf life of lettuce and spinach as IV range products.
Fernandez and Egea stressed that compost can be an alternative to the use of peat, the most important substrate used in intensive agriculture. Currently, more sustainable options are sought, both from an environmental and economic point of view.
The project started two years ago and is scheduled to finish in late 2020.
Source: lavozdegalicia.es