Use of biostimulants to increase biomass production in Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) cultivated in Tuscan-Emilian Apennines

Lavandin Lavandula x intermedia is one the most important perennial aromatic shrub widespread in the Italian marginal areas and is mainly cultivated for essentials oils production. Nowadays, in rural areas, biostimulants are gaining interest as useful product to enhance the biomass production, following the concept of sustainable agriculture. The present work aimed to evaluate the effects on biomass production of two biostimulants on lavandin crop cv “Grosso.” The biostimulants evaluated were: FITOSIM® composed from hydrolysed animal epithelium and FITOSIM ALGA® formulated from brown marine algae. The trial was conducted in three farms located in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine area (Northern Italy). The products were applied as foliar spray fertilization during the blooming phase (weekly, in two times) of the years 2020 and 2021. The crops were transplanted in three different years: at Preci farm in 2016, at Campazzo farm in 2013 and at Pedroni farm in 2009. In the 2020, results showed that FITOSIM ALGA® increased the fresh weight of the inflorescence, moreover FITOSIM® and FITOSIM ALGA® treatments enhanced the stem and total fresh weights compared to the control. In 2021, treatments enhanced the inflorescence and total fresh weights, and the dry weight of the inflorescence, while FITOSTIM ALGA improved only the total plant dry weigh. Furthermore, the results showed that the year of transplant influenced the agronomic performances of the investigated biostimulants. In conclusion, this work suggests the ability of the biostimulants to enhance the biomass production on lavandin crop. However, further investigation will be required to evaluate the most efficient number of treatments, the effect of the biostimulants on yield parameters and on the quality of the essential oils.