Post-harvest quality of lettuce cv. Elba in relation to Spirulina platensis foliar applications

Abstract

Use of biomass extracted from microalgae has been increasing, with Spirulina platensis among them, which has been used for several purposes. In agriculture, it can be used as a biofertilizer or biostimulant, serving as a nutrients source and contributing to increase yield and food quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of successive Spirulina platensis applications on lettuce cv. Elba post-harvest quality. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory, using a completely randomized design in plots subdivided in time, with six repeti­tions. Plots referred to organic fertilizer concentrations (Spirufert®) and subplots referred to evaluation periods (harvest and 24h after harvest). Soluble solids (SS), pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll a and b and protein were evaluated. Data were submitted to analysis of variance using Tukey’s test at 5% probability level. There was significant effect between fertilizer concentrations and evalu­ation periods for most of the analyzed variables. Use of 7,5% Spirufert® promotes quality characteristics mainten­ance for lettuce storage evaluated 24 hours after harvesting, preserving soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a.