The Quality of Carrot after Field Biostimulant Application and after Storage

Abstract

The carrot (Daucus carota L.) is a staple vegetable in human nutrition in Europe. In recent years, the use of biostimulants in vegetable crops has become a way to affect the quantity and quality of yields. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the type and methods of biostimulant (natural seaweed extract Kelpak and synthetic Asahi) application on the nitrates and nitrites content in carrot roots after harvest and storage. The study was based on a strict field experiment with carrot cv. ′Karotan′, conducted in Poland (53°13′N; 17°51′E) in three successive growing seasons and after six months of storage (RH 95%, and air temperature +1 °C). The biostimulants were applied during the growing season in a foliar form. The content of NO3ˉ and NO2ˉ in carrot after harvest depended on the dose and the date of biostimulant application. The single application of biostimulant Kelpak as well as two times of Asahi had no effect on the nitrate and nitrite content, while the application of Kelpak in a total dose of 6 or 7 dm3 ha−1 increased them. The maximum intake of nitrates and nitrites following the harvest and storage was, respectively, 7.1, 2.3% and 6.7, 2.1% of the ADI.